Folie à Deux
by mafolie
Summary: After moving to Danville, Elena Scott finds herself drawn in by the Flynn-Fletcher boys, but as things heat up between all of them, who will she choose? Rated M for language, adult themes, and some violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Three days before the start of school and we have started moving into our new house. It's nice, I guess. A large two story with four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a huge basement that has a den off of it (my new room), and a state of the art kitchen. If I wasn't so pissed about having to move, I'd be excited about the house. That being said, I've already begun my misanthropic behaviour by isolating myself in my new room and laying on my futon relaxing. It's not that I have one of those angsty teenage relationships with my Dad and two brothers; it's more that I prefer to be by myself. Luckily my family understands and respects it since my fabled mother was the same way I am.

I never got to know my mom, since she died in a car accident a year after I was born. We don't talk much about her, just like we never talk about the unborn sibling she had been carrying, but my eldest brother, Matt, has told me that I not only look exactly like her, but our personalities are shockingly similar as well. My other brother, Caleb, doesn't see it and tells me mom would never have been as much of a "freak" as I am. You've got to love brothers.

Personally, I can't imagine any mother being like me, or rather, me being like any mother. I dislike people and crowds with a burning passion, preferring my dogs to any human company. I read and write more than any other 15 year old, and like video games more than most girls. I don't dress up unless I'm being threatened to look presentable by my Dad, and I have an extreme aversion to young children. My Dad always jokes that my personality and appearance are such a huge contrast, that the struggle is shown in my partial heterochromatic eyes. Each of my eyes is half blue, half brown; pair that with my black wavy hair, delicate features, and slim frame; I look apparently "sweet and exotic," but my personality is "mysterious."

Since I'm not much of a people person, I'm not much of a talker and usually spend my time quietly enjoying the company of my three dogs where I don't need to worry about using the right words to show my feelings to them – they just know. My dogs are my best friends; each one was a rescue that I couldn't turn my back on. Sym is a beautiful tan male retired racing Greyhound that was my first adopted dog two years ago at age three. A little while after I brought him home, he showed some separation anxiety so I adopted Picasso, a two year old male white Shepherd from a local shelter. They became best friends and slept together every night on the dog bed in my bedroom. Finally, a month before ago, I adopted a female two year old red Doberman named Aurora from a rescue organization to complete my pack.

Aurora is still getting used to being a part of a family now, and is finding it a bit hard to play with the two boys. She is by my side at all times – if I shower she's sitting beside the tub with her head poking around the curtain to keep an eye on me. I was told when I adopted her, that she was abused and abandoned, so I should be prepared for her extreme attachment to me. I don't mind though, since having a Doberman at my constant side means I can walk anywhere at any time of night without fearing for my safety. She's not as aggressive as Picasso tends to be, but makes up for it in looks.

I glanced over at the three dogs snuggling on their "bed" (a mixture of old pillows and blankets piled into a nest like fashion) and smiled lovingly. These dogs can be likened to my children. I feel the same love, attachment, protectiveness, and pride that any mother must feel. Checking my watch, I saw that it was 3:30 pm so I figured it was time take the dogs out for a walk and explore the neighbourhood of suburban Danville.

"Come on kids, time for a walk," I tell them and immediately three fur covered bodies jump up and rush to find their gear. Aurora is the first to return with her leather lead. I clip it onto her more as a formality rather than necessity since she never wanders away from me. Next is Sym with his martingale collar and lead attached. I slip it on over his head and scratch behind his ears fondly. Finally Picasso returns carrying his backpack and leash. I pop a couple bottles of water for the dogs as well as my wallet and cell phone into the backpack and clip it onto Picasso's back. He holds his head high and proudly while wearing it, because it gives him a job and purpose, plus it tires him out faster. I then clip the lead onto his collar and slip on my sunglasses, before leading the dogs upstairs.

"Dad!" I call out, "I'm taking the dogs for a walk." I stuff my feet into my Vans, grab my keys, and gather the three leads in one hand.

"Don't get lost Elena, and make sure you're home by 6:00 for dinner, or call," my Dad's deep scratchy voice calls back. I open the door and head outside, the dogs calmly walking beside me. If there's one thing that can be said about these three, it's that they're the best behaved dogs most people have ever seen. I could, if I wanted, put my face down beside their food, and they would simply back away.

That's the problem with most dog owners. They treat their animals like cute little children, instead of acting more like a dog – and pack leader – themselves. As a result the dogs lack discipline, purpose, and leadership. I hate people who buy toy dogs to keep in a bag with frilly outfits. I honestly think it's as damaging to the dog as dogfights are. Unfortunately, though, I'm one of few who believe this.

As I go to walk down the driveway, I notice Matt is working on his truck, I walk over to him and smile as Picasso nudges his leg.

"Hey Elle," he says smiling at me. "You guys going out for a walk?" I nod at him and he chuckles. "Well watch out for boys, and if you need me, hook me a text alright?" I smile and stand on my toes, kissing his cheek. He laughs a bit before ruffling my hair. "Get out of here kid, before Caleb finds you." I laugh softly and make my way to the sidewalk, before deciding to turn left in the direction I remember seeing a dog park.

The dogs were excited to be out and exploring with me. Sym tried to meet everybody we passed, while Picasso's hackles raised at any male older than 15. He had been beaten almost to the point of death by two teenage boys before I got him, and it was only through a lot of serious and extensive work, that I've managed to get him to the point where he's friendly with my family, and no longer lunges at every man we pass. He's still wary, and will snarl if somebody gets too close to me, but there's no need to muzzle him anymore.

After about ten minutes, I heard hammering and sawing from a backyard. Curiously, I headed towards it, planning on just taking a quick peek – enough to satisfy my curious nature – and then quickly move on. When I peered through the wooden boards, however, the sight caused my breath to hitch in my throat.

Standing amidst what could only be described as a warzone of construction were two boys and a girl, all roughly my age, building what looked to be a car from scratch. The girl had black, pin straight hair and was dressed in a preppy fashion, with flip flops, jean shorts, and a pink top. She wasn't helping the boys, so much as chatting away at them - more so to the boy with fire red hair. He was the shorter of the two boys and was talking to the girl exuberantly. He wore baggy blue jeans, sneakers, and an orange t-shirt while in his hands was what looked to be blueprints. He started pointing out some detail to the final boy. This last one was tall – easily 6'0" or more – with forest green hair that was straight and hanging into his face. He was wearing purple skinny jeans, and a white V-neck shirt. I could see that he was built with lean muscle as he was working on the engine in the car.

While I was spying on my new neighbours, Sym must have focused on some sort of small animal because the next thing I knew, his lead was ripped from my hand and he took off through the gate and into the yard.

"Fuck," I swore under my breath. I unclipped Picasso's backpack and told him, "Get Sym." Picasso took off after Sym. I knew he wouldn't catch him, but the Shepherd had a much better chance than I ever would. Aurora followed dutifully as I ran into the yard. "Sym, heel!" I called, knowing he probably wouldn't listen. Greyhounds were sight hounds and once they got fixated on their prey, they rarely are able to be recalled, even one as well trained as Sym. Luckily there was no other exit to the yard and Picasso managed to snatch Sym's lead off the ground. I grumbled under my breath as I ran towards them.

The red haired boy approached Picasso and his hackles began to rise as I yelled, "Stop!" The red haired boy froze and looked over at me. "He hates men, especially strangers," I explained.

"Sounds like my ex-girlfriend," the boy joked and I smiled.

"Picasso, Sym, heel," I commanded and obediently Picasso led Sym over to me. I placed Picasso's backpack back on him and buckled it up, the whole time chastising Sym quietly. "I'm really sorry about that, I didn't notice Sym – the Greyhound – had fixated on something. Do you guys have a cat or squirrels that lurk around?" I asked somewhat quietly. I could feel the back of my neck getting a bit red out of embarrassment. I hated having one of my dogs misbehave, but didn't fault them for it.

"We have a platypus named Perry. My name is Phineas by the way and this is my brother Ferb. That's Isabella, our friend," the red haired boy, Phineas, explained.

"I'm Elena, and a platypus?" I questioned.

"It's a semi-aquatic mammal with a duck bill and a beaver tail. They also lay eggs," I looked over at the green haired boy, Ferb, shocked at the sound of a silky British accent. Up close, he looked like a hipster. His dark blue eyes were framed by big chunky glasses, on his full lips was a lip ring on the lower left side, his ears were gauged, and peeking out from the collar of his shirt looked like the edge of a tattoo.

"I know what a platypus is," I snapped at him, "I just was surprised they could be kept as pets." He raised his eyebrow and smirked slightly. I didn't have the patience for guys like him. They thought that they were God's gift to women and if a girl didn't faint at the sight of them, the girl was playing hard to get rather than just not being interested. Definitely not the type of guy I'd want to associate with on any level.

"Hey, where is Perry?" Isabella asked. Phineas looked around and shrugged while Ferb continued watching me intently.

"I guess he's hiding," Phineas said. I blushed slightly, knowing Sym was to blame. Looking down at the culprit though, I couldn't help but smile. Picasso was scolding him with low grumbles and soft woofs. Sym may have been the oldest, but when it came to the rules, Picasso wouldn't stand for anybody disobeying them. "So, got enough dogs?" Phineas asked. I looked up at him and chuckled a bit.

"They're my best friends," I explained, not ashamed of saying it, "Especially now that I'm new in the area. The Greyhound is Sym, the white Shepherd is Picasso, and this shy girl is Aurora." Aurora was sitting behind me, her head peeking around my leg watching the new people carefully. She trusted me to take care of her so she wasn't necessarily afraid, but she was a shy girl at heart. Isabella took a tentative step towards them.

"Can I pet Aurora?" she asked softly. I nodded and tugged Aurora's lead, forcing her to come out of hiding. I knelt beside her and stroked her head gently, whispering reassuring things to her as Isabella came over and held out her delicate, manicured hand. Aurora stretched her head out to sniff her carefully, before placing her head under Isabella's hand, allowing the new girl to pet her. My heart swelled with pride as I saw all of my hard work finally paying off. "She's so beautiful Elena, I've always wanted a big dog, but I have a Chihuahua named Pinky," Isabella said softly. She sat on the ground before Aurora and continued petting her.

Sym and Picasso seemed to be getting jealous so they began pushing their way into Isabella's lap on either side sending Isabella into a fit of giggles, trying to show attention to all three of the dogs.

"So, you said that you're new here?" Phineas asked. I nodded at him, trying to avoid making anymore eye contact with Ferb who was still watching me with his intense stare.

"I'll be starting at Danville Senior High as a sophomore in a few days," I explained.

"That's awesome," Phineas said, "Myself and Isa are starting as sophomore too. Ferb is a junior there though. Where are you living? You should hang out with us at school." I smiled, grateful that I could start this year off on the right foot.

"I live about a block from here, over by the gas station," I explained.

"Do you need a ride to school on Monday?" I glanced over at Ferb, he was still smirking a bit as he asked. I shook my head.

"No, thank you. My older brother is driving me." I looked down at the dogs and Picasso moved to stand before me, watching Ferb with his hackles up. Ferb didn't notice him, but continued staring at me. "Anyways, I should go. The dogs still need to be walked, and I need to finish unpacking." I gathered the leads as I said this, my face turning slightly red at Ferb's unending attention. It was unnerving having him watch me like a hawk. I hurriedly left the backyard after muttering a quick goodbye and heading back in the direction I came from, reeling slightly from the interaction. They were a strange group, but none as strange as Ferb and how he stared at me with those intense navy blue eyes.

When I got home I led the dogs directly into the backyard where there was a door leading into my basement. I when inside, and took off the leads, Sym's collar, and Picasso's backpack, putting them all in a basket beside the door. I removed my wallet and phone from the backpack and went into my room as the dogs had something to drink in the hallway. I placed my phone in my pocket and put my wallet on my bookshelf before grabbing a box to begin unpacking.

A few hours later, I was completely unpacked and organized. Everything was as it should be, from the books spilling off of the six foot bookcase, to the clothes spilling out of the closet. My TV with my Playstation was hooked up and even the cable was now working. On my desk, my computer was set up and connected to the internet. Everything was as it should be. Even the dogs seemed more relaxed now that all of our belonging had been unpacked. Aurora lounged with me on my futon as I read while Picasso and Sym played tug-of-war. A knock at my door drew me out of my book, and I looked up to see Matt grinning at me.

"Hey Elle, dinner will be here soon. Dad didn't feel like cooking so he ordered Chinese food," Matt told me as he sat on my floor to pet Sym and Picasso. "Hey boys, did you protect Ellie from all the horny teenager boys out there?" I snorted.

"Actually Sym caused me to meet to horny teenage boys," I told him, and launched into my afternoon adventure. When I was done, I could see that Matt was a bit tense. "What's wrong Matty?" I asked him. He shook his head and grinned.

"Nothing, I'll drive you to and from school though, okay? My classes work around your school schedule perfectly," I nodded, not surprised by his overprotective behaviour. After our mom died, he apparently felt like it was his responsibility as the oldest to take care of me. I've never objected, it helps having a brother like Matt. He then stood up. "Come on, dinner's probably here by now, and I'm starving."

I got up off of my futon and headed upstairs, dogs in tow. They rarely let me go anywhere without them. As I went into the kitchen, I smiled at my Dad and grabbed a plate, loading it down with food. That was another thing about me that was unique from most girls; I ate. I managed to keep my body slim, though, by walking my dogs for at least an hour two or three times a day.

I sat at the round table inbetween Matt and my Dad and ate silently, while the dogs ate their dinner. I listened as Caleb complained, Dad told him to buck up, and Matt talked about the improvements he's making on his truck. After I finished eating, I cleared my plate and headed downstairs with my pack to read myself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Standing in front of my mirror in my underwear I sighed deeply. The last few days flew by and now I was getting prepared for my first day at school, and my first day without my dogs all summer. I wished there was a way for me to at least keep Aurora with me, but Matt assured me that she would be fine joining him at a vet technician school that he was attending so he could get a decent job and work up money to get his veterinary degree. I knew she would be fine with Matt since he was her second favourite in the family, but I still worried about my girl.

Going to my closet I picked out a pair of faded skinny jeans, a black plain V-neck t-shirt, and a blue cardigan. Once dressed I put on a bit of make-up, concealer for a few pimples and the bags under my eyes, eyeliner, mascara, and pale lip gloss, all to give me the appearance of life. My hair, by this point, was dried into their irregular relaxed waves. I loved my hair; all I ever had to do was wash it and leave it alone. I went upstairs, grabbed an apple and my to-go cup of coffee, and then headed outside with Aurora towards Matt's pick-up truck.

He was already seated listening to Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show. I smiled at him and opened the door, allowing Aurora to hop in and get herself situated in the tiny backseat. I get into the front seat and do up my seatbelt as I lay my messenger bag at my feet.

"Hey, I don't want you to worry about Aurora today alright? She'll hang out with me all day and get bathed and brushed and played with," Matt told me, reading my mind. I had been worrying about my girl all day, afraid of how she was going to handle being without me. Matt had been spending a lot of time with her though so that she could get used to being with him. "And don't forget, we'll pick you up after school, alright?" I nod at him and look at the side window.

I hadn't seen Phineas, Isabella, or Ferb since that day in their backyard and I wondered if they really meant what they said about hanging out at school. I doubted it, but I guess I'd find out shortly since we were now pulled up in front of the dull brick building. Matt turned to me.

"Do you need me to come in with you?" he asked in a slightly worried tone. I shook my head. "Well if you need anything at all just call me okay?" I nodded and gave him a smile that I hoped would ease his worries, before giving Aurora one last pat, and exiting the car. I place my bag on my shoulder, take a deep breath, and head into the building with the swarms of other students.

I already had my schedule, and glancing down at it I see that homeroom is room 107. I head down a hallway that I hope is in the right direction, trying to keep my head up and not look lost. There were hundreds of bodies surging around me, all blending together to form an ocean-like mass. Their voices were all escalated into one loud sound, each voice indistinguishable to the next. Finally I found the door marked 107 and hastily made my way inside. There weren't many people here, since most students were in the hallway chatting with friends they hadn't seen all summer. It was good news for me, because I was able to snag a seat in the back corner of the room.

Once seated, I pull out my black sketchbook and open it to a blank page. I glance around the room, trying to find something worth drawing, and finally settle on the teacher at her desk. She looked old, with her grey hair in a haphazard bun on the top of her head, glasses perched on a delicate nose as she read through a book. I began the lines without thinking about it. Curves here, shading there, trying in vain to capture the relaxed and peaceful expression. I was so absorbed; I didn't notice somebody sitting beside me, until a voice interrupted my work.

"You're pretty good at that." I looked up to see the goofy grin belonging to Phineas. I couldn't help but smile back at him. "I was worried when I didn't see you the last couple days. I'm hoping you haven't forgotten my offer of being best buds?" I shook my head.

"I was more concerned that you would have forgotten about me," I told him, closing up my book and putting it away. Glancing around I realized that the class was full and the bell must have rang. I didn't see Isabella in the class with us. Phineas reached out and tugged gently on a lock of my hair, bringing his hand almost uncomfortably close to touching my face.

"How could I forget a beauty like you?" There was a teasing note in his voice, and I found it hard to tell if he was joking or not. I figure girls must positively swoon over him. He's extremely attractive with his shocking red hair and bright blue eyes. Not to mention that mischievous smile that always seems to be on his lips.

I was surprised with myself. I never really thought myself to be the type of girl to go weak over a guy, but from the intimate way he was touching my hair, the playful grin he was giving me, and the way his eyes captivated mine, I was finding myself blushing lightly. I wasn't about to let him know that he was getting to me, though, and decided to play back. I leaned in close to his face so our noses touch.

"Now, now Phineas," I whispered softly, "I wouldn't play this game if I were you. I have two older brothers, three dogs, and a Dad who thinks I'm still six." I pulled away and laughed a bit as I saw his face turn the same red as his hair. He laughed it off though and leaned back in his chair, putting a more comfortable distance between us.

"I think we're going to be best friends Elena," he announced. "I like your style." I grinned at him, happy to have past some unknown test of friendship, and actually found myself really enjoying his company as we chatted through the rest of homeroom. When the bell finally rang to send us to our next classes, it felt like no time had passed at all, and I was feeling almost sad that I didn't have another class with Phineas until World History at the end of the day.

"I'll see you at lunch," he told me as he turned to walk in the opposite direction from where I was headed. "Meet me in the front foyer by the office."

I smiled as I headed off to my next class. It was nice finding that I had at lead one friend; especially one as easy to be around as Phineas. He was obviously very popular as everybody greeted him, but he wasn't stuck up about it. Phineas also tried to learn more about me, than he would offer up or answer about himself. It was so refreshing being around a guy like that, that I had found myself becoming more talkative around him.

Reaching the door of my next class I noticed a head of forest green hair, and almost groaned as I realized that none other than Ferb was in my AP English class. I decided not to let it get to me and walked into the class, head held high as I took a seat as far from him as possible. The class quickly filled up and I made it my mission not to look at Ferb or even acknowledge his presence.

The more I thought about it as the class began and the teacher started to outline the course, the more irrational it seemed to me. All Ferb had done was look at me. Granted it made me a bit uncomfortable, but he hadn't said anything that was uncalled for. I suppose it was more of an involuntary reaction to the staring and his attitude.

"Alright students, I'm going to pair you up. You and your partner will do all presentations together and work together on everything. I want you to write a journal entry about this person every week and at the end of the semester I expect an essay based solely on what you've learned through working with this person that you wouldn't have learned otherwise." I stared, almost slack-jawed at what Mr. Malkovich instructed. This seemed like the dumbest assignment I'd ever encountered. Luckily another girl voiced my thoughts.

"Sir? This seems like a dumb waste of time to be honest," she told him with a strangely nasally voice.

"I understand that this is unconventional Ms. Burke, but the reasoning behind this assignment is simple. AP students don't move outside of their comfort zone. If you have a friend in this class, you always partner with them. If you don't, you choose to work alone. In doing this, you'll never learn vital skills that class doesn't teach you, like dealing with people you may not like, or how to learn things about people. Plus I'm looking forward to watching a lot of you write mean things behind each other's back that you wouldn't dare say out loud." The class was stunned into silence. "Any other questions? No? Then let's get you kids partnered up. You'll have to sit beside each other, too."

And that's how I ended up sitting beside Mr. Ferb Fletcher, the guy I was trying – obviously in vain – to avoid.

"It won't be so bad," he leaned over and whispered to me. "You may actually find yourself completely enamoured with me." I snorted and shook my head.

"Unlikely," I replied. He shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"We'll see about that Elle."

Luckily the bell rang and I hurried away to Math, which was uneventful, and by lunch I was almost relaxed to a Zen state. As I entered the foyer I spotted the fire red head of hair belonging to Phineas almost immediately, and I walked over to him as confidently as I could. When he spotted me he quickly snatched me up in a hug and soon I was laughing. His personality and good humour was positively infectious.

"I missed you," he informed me, laughing. I simply demanded that I be put down. Phineas was short, maybe 5'7" compared to his brother, but I just managed to reach 5'3". "You're so tiny," he told me while placing me back on the ground, "like a little doll or something." I shook my head, smiling, and almost baffled by the way that this guy spoke without reservation to people. "Come on though, I'm hungry and you need to tell me about your classes. Do they suck?"

As we walked to the cafeteria and stood in line to get something to eat, I recounted the events of my day thus far to him. I even included the exchange with Ferb and all Phineas did in response was chuckle and place an arm around my shoulder.

"Ferb fancies himself a bit of a ladies man," he told me, "but don't let him bother you. He really is harmless at heart." I laughed a bit and smirked up at him as we walked to a table.

"Unlike you that is a ladies man, yet not harmless?" I asked him. He laughed loudly and I found myself really enjoying the sound. It wasn't obnoxious, but had a deep, rich tone to it. As if when he laughed, he did so with his whole body and soul.

We were soon joined by Isabella, a large guy with short brown hair and a small, wiry, Indian kid. Isabella sat on Phineas' other side while the two new boys sat across from us.

"Hey Elena," Isabella greeted me good naturedly, "This is Buford and Baljeet. Guys this is Elena, she just moved here a few days before school started." The guys smiled at me and I noticed that the bigger guy, Buford, had his arm wrapped around Baljeet's waist. 'Interesting dynamic,' I thought to myself. Baljeet smiled at me.

"You are in my math class," he said happily. "You should sit beside me." I nodded and returned his smile, finding it easy to be with these people.

As we ate, I asked the group some questions about themselves, and learned that Isabella was a cheerleader – no surprise there – and wants to get a cheerleading scholarship to become a doctor – plenty of surprise from that revelation. Phineas is on the soccer, basketball, and hockey teams, plus has a band with Ferb and two of Ferb's friends. Phineas plays guitar and sings lead, while Ferb plays bass. Finally, I learned that Buford used to bully Baljeet all the time, but at the beginning of this past summer, they both finally realized why Buford was bullying him, yet was friends with him at the same time. It was a sweet love story, especially since neither of them made a huge deal about being gay. They loved each other, plain and simple.

Suddenly I felt a hand touching my shoulder. I looked up and saw that it was Ferb with a few of his friends. They were all dressed similarly with different coloured hair, piercings, tattoos, etc.; all displaying their "individuality."

"Hey partner," Ferb said with his smooth, somewhat addicting accent. I could see why girls would fall all over him. "Why don't you come sit with me and my friends? That way we could talk about this new relationship we have." It was like every word his spoke had a double meaning. I simply shook my head, smiling up at him.

"I'm good. You seem to have your hands full." And it was true; there were a few girls flanking him, staring at him in adoration. It was slightly nauseating.

"Up to you, just keep in mind that my hands are great at multitasking and always have time for my partner." He winked at me, grinning before leaving with his group.

I turned back towards the group and none seemed to have paid any attention to the exchange except for Phineas who was watching me with a strange look on his face. I ignored it and just immersed myself back into the conversation with the people I hoped would be my new friends.

The rest of the day passed without anything significant happening, but I found, once seated in Matt's truck, that I was exhausted. Trying to be super social seemed to take a lot out of me, and all I wanted was to take the dogs to a dogpark and relax.

"How was school?" Matt asked as he pulled out of the parking lot and Aurora climbed into my lap, licking my face.

"Strange. I made a few friends, but there's one guy who's my new partner in English that I'm finding a bit… weird I guess." I explained the whole situation to Matt, whom has always been my confidant and he listened without judgement.

"Well, if he gives you any serious trouble, just let me know, okay?" I nodded at him and a small smile formed on my lips. I could always count on Matt. "You'll be pleased to know that Aurora made a new friend today in the form of an iguana." I chuckled a bit and listened to Matt's day, hugging my girl and stroking her soft, uncropped ears.

I loved moments like this, when it was just me and Matt, talking and relaxing, but unfortunately the truck pulled into the driveway all too soon. I hopped out and headed inside with Aurora to do some homework and then take the dogs out for a walk before dinner.

The whole time I couldn't get two very different brothers out of my head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The week passed without incident. I spent all of my free school time with Phineas and his – well I guess our – friends. The more time I spent with him, the more addicted I found I was becoming. His positive attitude, playful personality, and velvety laugh made me want to just be with him all the time. I was somewhat sickened with myself. I was never this kind of girl, but I had also never met anybody like Phineas - or his brother Ferb for that matter - before.

Ferb was relatively well behaved throughout the week. I don't know what had changed, but his comments didn't have that extra meaning hidden within them. I found that when he was actually behaving himself, he was alright to be around. I continued, though, to refuse any of his offers to have lunch together, and only really had to see him once a day in English.

It was now Friday and I wondered what the weekend would bring. I was sitting in homeroom with Phineas beside me. He was talking excitedly about basketball season coming up and how he's dropping hockey this year so he can have more free time. I was a bit zoned out, not giving him my full attention, but instead thinking about the weird dream I had last night.

I was lying in a lounge chair in the Flynn-Fletcher backyard wearing a swimsuit and tanning. I heard a strange noise and when I sat up, both Phineas and Ferb were standing before me wearing suits. They each held a rose out to me; the one Phineas was holding was white, while the one that Ferb held was a deep purple colour. They were both saying something that I couldn't quite make out and just as I was starting to understand I woke up confused, with my heart racing out of my chest.

I then noticed that Phineas had asked me something. I blushed lightly and turned my attention back to him, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, my mind was a million miles away. What did you say?"

"I asked if you wanted to come to the beach tomorrow," he said, grinning happily. "It'll be me, you, Isa, her friend Gretchen, Ferb, and his friend Alex. Alex will be driving." He must have noticed the hesitation on my face, because he quickly switched tactics. "Please Elle? It wouldn't be the same without you. You can bring one of the Reservoir Dogs if you want."

My feelings were all over the place. I was happy that Phineas wanted me there, apprehensive about being there with Ferb, and downright embarrassed at the thought of Ferb seeing me in a swimsuit for reasons I couldn't explain.

"I'll go," I told him, smiling softly, "and Aurora will come with me alright? Will there be enough room in Alex's car?" Phineas nodded enthusiastically. The bell rang and I stood, stretching my arms high over my head and cracking my back. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Phineas eyeing the strip of exposed skin between my shirt hem and the top of my pants. I hurriedly lowered my arms and picked up my bag, my face turning red.

'If this is how I am about a bit of skin in front of Phineas, I'm going to have a hard time wearing a bikini. It's not a big deal though, girls wear bikinis at the beach, stop being a prude,' I mentally chastised myself. I smiled at Phineas as he slung his arm around me like normal and we walked out of homeroom together.

"I'll see you at lunch Elle," he called as he raced off towards Tech Ed, and I headed to AP English. I wasn't looking forward to English, especially after my weird dream from last night. Facing Ferb felt like a daily struggle - one that would probably be worse after he's seen me in a bikini. I took my seat beside my green haired partner and took out my books, trying not to pay him much attention. I suddenly felt his hot breath on my cheek as he leaned over to me.

"So Phin just hooked me a text saying I'll get to see you in your bikini tomorrow. My pants are tightening at the thought." I looked up at his sly grin, and attempted to give him a scathing look. He simply laughed in response. "Now, now Miss Scott, you'll wind up with wrinkles if you keep giving me that look."

"I wouldn't have to give you this look if you stopped being a vulgar pig," I spat back. He shook his head, amused.

"What can I say? You cause me to say strange things for attention." I snorted unattractively. "It's true. All I want is attention and affection from you, but when I'm polite you ignore me. Negative attention is better than none at all." I gave him a long, hard look trying to decide whether or not he was serious. The bell rang before I could reply, and we turned our attention to Mr. Malkovich.

"Alright class," he started, "at the end of the period make sure you lay this week's journals on my desk before you leave. Now turn to where we left off in Pride and Prejudice and let's discuss the relationship forming between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. Anybody want to start?" Surprisingly Ferb's hand shot up. "Yes Mr. Fletcher?"

"Well Sir, I think that Elizabeth judges Mr. Darcy too harshly when he's really just misunderstood."

"Elaborate, Mr. Fletcher. You need to back up all arguments with proof, remember?" I glance at Ferb, a bit surprised. So far he hasn't made a sound during class.

"Well, take for instance at the ball. Everybody talks about how wonderful Bingley is and how horrid Darcy is. For all they knew, Darcy was shy and made the comment about Elizabeth not being tempting to avoid embarrassing himself through dancing or something. I think it's unfair to think an unsocial person is less of a man than the more social one." I could hear something like contempt in his voice. It was almost like he was taking Elizabeth's hatred of Darcy personally.

"Good point, Mr. Fletcher. Anybody else have an opinion?" The discussions continued on, some people agreeing with Ferb, other's arguing with him, and a few – like me – chose not to voice any opinion at all.

Class ended and I laid my journal on Mr. Malkovich's desk. It wasn't extensive, but basically summed up how I learned from Ferb that there are still plenty of chauvinistic men in the world and that I was blessed enough to have one as my partner. Not my best writing, but it outlined my feelings.

The rest of the day dragged onwards, but eventually I was back at home in my room, staring at my drawer with beach stuff in it. I sighed deeply and glared at the swimsuits. I felt ridiculous worrying about what I would wear - since I was never that kind of girl until I moved – yet here I was, trying to decide between my purple bikini and my white one. I finally settled on the purple one and laid it on my dresser so I wouldn't forget.

I decided to take the dogs out for a walk and took out my phone, dialing Phineas' number quickly before I lost my nerve. Holding the phone up to my ear, I tried to steady my breathing to relax.

"Hello?" His voice sounded distracted as he answered.

"Hey Phin, it's Elle," I responded, hoping my voice didn't betray my nervousness. I've never asked Phineas to hang out, just the two of us before.

"Oh hey Elle, what's up?"

"Well I was going to take the dogs out to the park and was wondering if you maybe wanted to come with us. If you're too busy though or have something else to do, don't worry about it." I was rambling a bit. God, what was wrong with me lately?

"Um sure, I just have to finish up something Ferb and I are working on in the backyard so why don't you come over with the dogs and wait. It shouldn't take more than a half hour." I smiled a bit.

"Sure thing Phin, we'll be over in a little." I hung up the phone and looked over at the dogpile on my floor. "Wanna go to the park?" I asked them and immediately all three dogs leaped up, scrambling to get their walking gear. I got everything on them and headed to the back door, stuffing my feet in my shoes, my phone in my pocket, and my sunglasses on my face before heading outside.

It was a beautiful day out and the dogs were thrilled to be out together. We walked at a leisurely pace, taking our time and enjoying the fresh air. Of course, my real motive for taking my time in getting to Phineas' house was so I wouldn't have to spend a ton of time with Ferb. Soon, though, we reached the Flynn-Fletcher house. I made my way into the backyard and spotted the same car that the brothers had been working on when I first met them. I shut the gate door behind me and dropped the leads, letting the dogs wander around.

"Hey Phin," I called out as I made my way to a lawn chair. I sat down and watched them work, smiling. It really was amazing seeing the Flynn-Fletcher boys in action. Phineas had told me that every day during the summer they would work on a project, and that during the school year, they would pick two or three big things to work on. Currently they were building their own car.

"Hey Elle, I'll be done in a few minutes, then we can go," he replied with a muffled voice, his body sticking out from underneath the car. Ferb was watching me from the corner of his eye.

"Where you guys going?" Ferb asked, almost politely. I looked at him suspiciously, but there didn't seem to be any ulterior motives. He crouched down, scratching Sym behind his ears. Sym was the only one of the dogs who seemed to really like Ferb, while Picasso, surprisingly, had taken a liking to Phineas.

"The dog park," I replied, stroking Aurora's head that was laid on my lap.

"I wasn't invited? Is it like a date or something?" I blushed crimson. Ferb had a sly grin on his face, as his navy blue eyes stared into mine.

"No it's not a date, and you weren't invited because you're an ass," I told him. He laughed deeply, not breaking eye contact.

"Have I ever told you that you have the most enchanting eyes?" he asked me. I snorted, something I seemed to do a lot of around Ferb.

"You're full of shit Fletcher," I replied. "Why can't you get the hint that I'm not going to fuck you?" Laughter erupted from Phineas as he got out from underneath the car. He wiped grease off of his hands and winked at me.

"I told you she's on to your bullshit bro," Phineas told Ferb, patting him on his shoulder. "You're too transparent." It wasn't said with malice, but a teasing and playful note. If anything could be said about them, it was that they were best friends above all else and I respected that. Phineas picked up Sym and Picasso's leads. "Let's go Elle."

I stood up and held Aurora's lead, heading to the gate. I took a quick look back at Ferb, and noticed he had a strange, almost pained expression on his face, but when he noticed me looking at him, it changed immediately to his sly smirk and a wink in my direction. I shook my head, trying to clear my mind as Phineas and I headed to the dog park.

"So is Ferb always like that?" I asked him, curious about what the brothers were like behind closed doors.

"Like what?" Phineas responded. I looked at him incredulously, unable to believe that Phineas wasn't aware of the extent of Ferb's position as a "ladies man."

"I don't know," I knew I had to tread carefully, "just always a flirt to the point of being inappropriate I guess?" Phineas chuckled.

"Honestly, I've never seen him behave the way he does with you before. At home he's quiet, with his friends he's quiet, with girlfriends he's quiet, but with you? With you he seems unable to shut up." I stared at him, shocked.

"You're kidding right? All he ever does around me is make lewd comments and vulgar innuendos." Phineas laughed loudly at his. I eyed him carefully. "Seriously Phin it's all double entendres with that guy." Phineas stopped laughing and looked at me seriously.

"Is it really bothering you?" he asked me. I shrugged in response. "Look, if he's making you upset, just let me know alright? I can have a chat with him."

"It's not that big of a deal," I mumbled. I felt somewhat embarrassed that I had even mentioned anything. I'd never want to cause a fight between Phineas and his brother.

We continued walking in companionable silence until reaching the fenced off dog park. There were a couple other people there with their dogs. I closed the gate behind me, and we let all three dogs run off. Phin and I sat on the ground, leaning against the fence, chatting about everything and nothing, all at the same time.

Suddenly Phineas' phone rang, so he got up and walked away from me to answer it in private. I continued watching my dogs play and letting my mind wander a bit when somebody sat beside me. It was a teenage boy I remembered seeing around school. He was a junior, like Ferb, but not one I had ever talked to.

"Hey, I'm Adam," he told me, holding out his hand. I took it carefully, watching his eyes for any sign of deception. If there was one thing to be said about me, it was that I wasn't overly trusting around new people.

"Elena," I replied.

"Which ones are yours?" he asked me, looking out over the dogs.

"The Greyhound, red Doberman, and white Shepherd," I told him, my eyes running over his face. He was attractive; dark brown hair, green eyes, light stubble across sharp features, and a small scar along his chin.

"Mine is the Border Collie." I nodded and watched as his small, agile dog circled Picasso, barking excitedly and enticing him to a game of chase.

"She seems to like Picasso," I noted. He chuckled lightly.

"Cassie has always been a fan of artists." I laughed and looked over at him. He was grinning playfully at me. "You go to Danville High right? I feel like I've seen you there." I nodded. We continued to chat for a little, mostly about the dogs before Phin came back, eyeing Adam suspiciously.

"Adam, hey, what's up?" he asked, sitting on the other side of me.

"Nothing much man, just chatting." Phineas nodded and we sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes. Adam then cleared his throat and stood up. "Anyways I gotta take off." He whistled and Cassie ran over to him. "See you later." He left quickly and I looked at Phineas, confused.

"So… who was on the phone?" I asked him. A smile returned to his face as he laughed.

"Ferb wanted me to ask you if you liked it from behind." I blushed crimson and hid my face in my hands.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" I muttered. Phineas just placed an arm around my shoulders, still laughing hysterically.

"No idea. But for the record, do you?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

I woke up to Picasso licking my face eagerly and Ferb sitting at my desk, watching me. I sat up quickly, clutching the blanket to my chest as I realized that Ferb was witnessing me in my pajamas; a pair of underwear and nothing else. My entire face erupted into flames as I blushed.

"What the fucking hell are you doing here?" I demanded and pushed Picasso off of me. All Ferb did was grin and look around my room a bit. Sym had his head laid down on Ferb's lap, and Ferb was petting him gently.

"Your brother Caleb let me in as he was leaving. We're the only ones home currently." I heard an almost lustful tone in his voice as I clutched my sheet tighter. I stared at him incredulously. "I came because Phin asked me to pick up a couple of supplies for our beach trip today and could use the company."

"Why don't you get one of your groupies?" I asked him. He chuckled.

"Jealous?" I shook my head and he shrugged. "I like you best; you're a regular little spitfire." I sighed in response.

"Can you get out so I can at least get dressed?"

"No."

"Ferb, get the fuck out!" I yelled at him. I wasn't the type of person that normally raised their voice, but the way that Ferb was looking at me was really getting to me. His eyes were glazed over as they roamed over my face, neck, and exposed shoulders. Finally he stood and winked at me, before leaving my room. Sym followed him out, seemingly enamoured with the tall Brit. I sighed deeply, my face in my hands. Picasso licked my arm, reassuringly.

I gave him a weak smile before standing and pulling on my purple bikini. I then slipped on a light, brown bohemian skirt that came an inch above my knees and a loose white top. I had showered the night before and braided my hair before bed so when I took out the braid, my hair fell in loose waves around my face. I applied a bit of pale pink lip gloss and slipped my watch and a few chunky bracelets on, before opening the door to see Ferb standing right outside of it, waiting for me. Ferb's eyes traveled along my body before finally meeting mine, smirking.

"You know that shirt is kind of see through right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Good, maybe it'll attract a decent guy," I retorted as I crossed my arms across my chest. He chuckled and turned away from me, heading to the back door.

"Come on, let's get into public before I decide to have my way with you." I was glad that he wasn't watching me, because I felt my face turn red. Taking a steadying breath, I slipped my Vans and sunglasses on before following him out the door, locking it behind me.

We walked in silence for a little while, heading towards the Wal-Mart only a block and a half from my house. Every few seconds, I'd glance at the strange and infuriating boy beside me, taking in his appearance. He was wearing a grey t-shirt with the words "The Great Perhaps," scrawled across it in black – I remembered Phineas telling me that was the name of the band they were in – black skinny jeans, and blue DC skate shoes. His hair was in its usual messy state and hanging down into his deep navy eyes, and around his face. I watched inconspicuously as his tongue snaked out to play with the ring on his lower lip. It wasn't a particularly seductive action, but it resonated with something inside of me. I shook my head quickly, trying to banish the thoughts creeping into my hormone fueled mind. Ferb infuriated me, nothing more.

"Something wrong?" His voice sliced through my thoughts and I looked up at him. He had a soft expression on his face, not the regular narcissistic one that seemed to come with hipster territory.

"I'm just trying to figure you out Fletcher," I responded, focusing my eyes back on where I was going, trying not to let my eyes – or my mind – wander. "You don't make sense. Phineas said that you hardly ever talk, but when you're around me I can rarely get you to shut up." Ferb laughed at this and I looked over at him to see him shrug his broad shoulders.

"What can I say? You bring out the best in me." I rolled my eyes and sighed slightly.

"If this is you at your best, I loathe to see you're worst. You're the most chauvinistic, vulgar, narcissistic man I have ever met." The only response I received was deep, rich, velvety laughter. I turned to see him with his hands on his knees, bent over, with tears running from his eyes as he laughed. "What the hell is so funny?" I demanded. After a few minutes his laughter subsided enough for him to speak.

"You. You're absolutely hilarious and you don't even realize it. You don't filter what you say, but if something offends your bizarre standards you let it be known loud and clear. You're the only woman, other than my Mom and Candace, that doesn't put up with my shit and I adore that about you." I stared at him, shocked. "That's why I like hanging out with you, and am always trying to get your attention. Trying to show you I'm just as good as Phineas." The last sentence was mumbled almost to the point of being inaudible. By this point, Ferb had stopped laughing and was refusing to meet my gaze. He looked so forlorn that I stepped over to him and grabbed his chin, turning his head and forcing him to look at me.

"Don't do that. Don't compare yourself to Phineas. I like him because he is nobody but himself and if you would stop being a pig all the time I might actually like you too." Ferb smiled at this, it wasn't his regular smirk, but a real smile and I found myself returning it. Ferb wrapped his long arms around my body, hugging me tight.

"You really are a strange and amazing girl. I can see why Phin likes you so much." I blushed furiously and pushed him away.

"Come on, we still need to pick shit up," I muttered and walked away from him quickly. This was such a weird development in my relationship with him, but it was nice at the same time. I doubted he would stop the lewd comments any time soon, since that was just who he was, but I don't think I'd take them as personally.

We walked the rest of the way in silence, but it was more comfortable than it had been before the revelations. Upon reaching Wal-Mart, the vibes between us were almost friendly. Ferb grabbed a cart and began heading towards the grocery section.

"So what do we need to get?" I asked him. He handed me a list in response as we perused the aisles. "Alright so how many bags are in a 'fuckload of chips'?" I asked him incredulously. He chuckled.

"Enough to feed three teenage boys, and three girls."

"So six bags maybe? And four two litre bottles of pop?" Ferb nodded and we began loading the cart up. I grabbed a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, and some chocolate for s'mores while Ferb picked a couple packs of hotdogs and buns. We were supposed to leave in an hour, and were intending on spending the whole day there so we needed a lot of food.

"Alright, I think that's all that we need. Let's get this shit paid for so we can go." Ferb looked uncomfortable. I raised my eyebrow at him questioningly. "I hate places like this," he explained and I left it at that. We made our way to the check out and stood in line, not speaking to each other. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder and turning around I come face to face with Adam from the dog park. I smiled up at him, surprised.

"Hey Elena, what's up?" he asked. I felt Ferb tense up beside me, but paid him no attention.

"We're going to the beach," I told him, motioning towards the cart. I watched as Adam and Ferb eyed each other.

"Ellwanger. How unfortunate running into you." I was surprised by the malice dripping from Ferb's voice and raised an eyebrow at him. Adam laughed without humour.

"Likewise," he replied before turning his gaze back to me. "I was thinking of heading to the beach too with Cassie today. How about you give me your number and I'll text you while I'm there. We could hang out for a while then." I shrugged as he passed me his phone. I added my number to his contacts before passing it back to him. "Alright, I'll text you later on." He winked at me playfully, "Bye Elena. Fletcher." He then left as suddenly as he appeared. I looked over at Ferb to see his jaw clenched tightly.

"What is it?" I asked him, confused.

"Stay the fuck away from him Elena. He's bad news." I sighed deeply and shook my head.

"Look Ferb, I have an overprotective Shepherd, two older brothers and am my Dad's only girl. I seriously don't need any other males in my life that think I need protecting." Ferb stared at me for a few seconds before his lips resumed their regular grin.

"You're right. I mean if you can fight off my advances, you can fight off anybody." I laughed and shook my head as Ferb paid for our stuff and we left, each carrying a few bags.

On the walk home I asked him about his band and he proceeded to go into a long winded explanation about their name, inspirations, songs, and gigs that they've played. I smiled to myself, finally content to hear something come out of Ferb's mouth that he was truly passionate about. Sooner, rather than later, we were standing together outside of my house. I looked up at Ferb.

"So, are you heading home now?" I asked him.

"Yeah I've gotta get ready, we'll come pick you up in an hour okay?" I nodded.

"Leave the food here so you don't have to carry it home with you, okay?" Ferb nodded and handed me the bags before turning around and walking off without another word.

I brought everything inside, leaving it in the hallway and headed downstairs to my bedroom. The dogs were all lounging around, enjoying the air conditioning, but when they saw me enter the room, they stood up to greet me. I patted each of them on the head lovingly, before grabbing my messenger bag, emptying it of my books, and putting a towel, sun tan lotion, and a change of clothes in it. I also threw Aurora's lead, a few bottles of water, my wallet, and keys into it. Once satisfied that I packed everything I needed, I let Picasso and Sym out into the backyard to relieve themselves. They came back in quickly to escape the heat and followed me and Aurora upstairs. I fed the dogs and left out some extra water for them before writing a quick note to my Dad, explaining where I was and what I was doing.

Just as I finished up I heard honking. I grabbed my bag and the groceries before leaving and locking up my house with Aurora to come face to face with a white paneled van with Ferb's head sticking out of the sliding door, laughing and smoking a joint. I walked over to the van, passing him the groceries and wrinkling my nose with distaste before getting in.

"You smoke pot?" I asked him.

"Of course baby, I'm a rockstar." Ferb winked at me before taking a long draw, a goofy grin on his face. "Want some?" I shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" I said as I took a drag on the joint. He laughed and threw his arm around me as Phineas shut the door and the van started driving. All of us, with the exception of a guy and girl I didn't know, sat on the floor in the back. Aurora curled up between me and Isabella, placing her head on the girl's lap to receive attention. On my other side was Ferb, leaning his head on my shoulder and singing loudly to The Smiths. I noticed Phineas was in a deep conversation with Isabella about something, and didn't feel like involving myself. The weed was making me feel lethargic, so I just curled into Ferb's arm and closed my eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I don't remember how long we were driving – I must have dozed off – because the next thing I remember is somebody shaking my shoulders gently. I opened my eyes to see oceanic blue eyes staring at me on a smiling face. I grinned sheepishly.

"Hey Phin, did I fall asleep?" I asked him, still feeling mellowed out. He laughed and hauled me to my feet, helping me out of the van, Aurora close behind me. I grabbed my bag and took in the beautiful beach around me.

"Welcome to Danville's own slice of paradise," Phineas said, his arms stretching wide. He then drew my attention to the two people I hadn't recognized. "That's Gretchen and Alex by the way." I nodded and raised my arms high over my head, cracking my back. As we walked out onto the beach from the parking lot, I analyzed Gretchen and Alex.

Alex was Ferb's age and had a dark look to him. His skin was bronzed, his hair near black, and his eyes were the darkest brown I had ever seen. His height was somewhere in between Phineas and Ferb, but he was bulkier than the both of them. Alex seemed like the kind of guy who enjoyed going to the gym religiously.

Gretchen, on the other hand, was in my grade and absolutely tiny; smaller than me – she was lucky if she was five feet tall. She had auburn hair that was styled into a short pixie cut and small, rectangular glasses. She was holding hands with Alex while we walked, so I assumed they were together.

We finally reached a spot on the beach without many people on it, so we dropped our stuff and began laying out towels. I stripped off my shirt and skirt before applying some sunscreen. I could feel eyes on me, and glanced around to see Ferb staring at me without shame. I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. Suddenly I felt hands rubbing sunscreen on my back. I turned my head to see Isabella helping me out.

"Before Phineas or Ferb decided it was their duty," she whispered in my ear, her tone laughing. I chuckled a bit.

"I don't understand what's up with them," I told her. "I mean, Phineas is a great friend, but I've only just met him; I'm not looking for anything more than friendship. And Ferb? Ferb blows hot and cold. Sometimes he's sweet, sometimes he's vulgar, sometimes he hardly speaks to me and other times I can't get him to shut up." I sighed in frustration and turned to Isabella. "Up until today I thoroughly disliked him, but now I'm starting to almost see him as a friend. Tomorrow I may want to kill him though, you never know." Isabella laughed and handed me the sunscreen so I could do her back.

"Look Elle, I've known those two boys since day one, I've always lived across the street from them. Phineas hasn't changed since childhood – he's still the same carefree, playful, guy he's always been. It was endearing when we were younger – I had a major crush on him up until grade 8 – but now is the time for him to mature a bit. Besides that, he never knew his biological father, so in the early years he only had females to learn from. Ferb, on the other hand, has always been this quiet, mysterious guy. He never knew his birth mother so he didn't see how guys interacted with women until he was at least six. He also never spoke much and Phin was always the one leading him around, doing the talking for him. As a result, Ferb never learned social skills. Most of his friends are the same hipster type, but he doesn't know how to deal with somebody like you." I tossed the bottle onto my towel and stared at Isabella, shocked.

"Isa, I don't know how to deal with people either. Honestly, you guys are the first real friends I've had in a very long time. I always just hung out with my brother and his friends and they never cared." Isabella smiled at me.

"Well it looks like you and Ferb have a lot more in common than you might have thought; popular brother, shy, and a fairly secluded life without having to make your own friends." I laid on my towel and Isabella laid beside me on hers. I took a peek over at Ferb who was sitting quietly beside Phineas. Phineas was entertaining Alex and Gretchen with some tale as they all laughed. Ferb looked up at me and smiled slightly, winking at me. I sighed and turned back to Isabella.

"I will never, in a million years, date a guy like Ferb," I declared to her. She laughed and sat up.

"Come on, let's go for a swim Ellie." I stood up grinning and we took off into the surf, Aurora running with us happily. Without warning, two strong arms scooped me up, swinging me around in a circle, before dumping me into the cold water. I got to my feet and looked up to see Adam grinning at me playfully.

"Asshole," I said laughing. "I thought you said you'd text first."

"Cassie and I spotted Aurora and decided to surprise you instead," he told me. I looked over at Aurora to see her chasing Cassie around the beach, never going far from me, but opening up more than I had ever seen her do. I felt a small surge of pride for my girl. I grinned up at Adam before pushing him into the water, laughing and running away.

We continued to play in the water for a while, but I was starting to get hungry, so I headed back towards where I left my stuff. Adam followed me, recounting his exploits with his camera and how he wants to pursue photojournalism after high school. I found myself enjoying his company, more than nearly anybody else I had met so far. He was charming, sophisticated, loved rescuing dogs as much as I did, liked reading, art, and even some classical music pieces. I sat down on my towel and patted the spot beside me where Adam promptly sat.

"You know, if I believed in that kind of shit, I'd say you were my soulmate," I told him, laughing. He made a face at me and pulled two cans of Coke from his bag, handing me one.

"And why don't you believe in soulmates?" he asked before taking a long drink from his can. I thought about it carefully, taking time to have a sip from my drink first.

"Well," I began, "It seems almost narcissistic to believe that you are some persons one and only true love. What about all the other people that have loved your 'soulmate' before you? Do they become obsolete because you feel like you're perfect? And what about those that will possibly inevitably come after you? Do they make you obsolete? I just feel like there are many perfectly compatible people out there that are all compatible with other people. Just because you find a person, settle down, and have kids, doesn't mean that the exact same scenario couldn't have happened with somebody else halfway around the world." I stopped and looked around the beach. "I mean, at least three people here could be my 'soulmate' right?"

"Could I be one of those three?" Adam looked at me intensely and I felt a weird sensation flow through me, almost like lightening igniting every nerve in my body. I shrugged.

"You could try to be I guess," I finally told him.

"How about I take you out on a date sometime then?" I blushed lightly and looked at Aurora playing in the surf with Cassie. Any guy with a dog that sweet couldn't possibly be bad.

"Sure. You have my number so when you want to go out, call me or something," I told him. A shadow came over me. I looked up at saw Ferb standing over me, a volleyball under one arm, and a strange expression on his face. I stared at him questioningly, but he just held up the ball.

"We're gonna play. Girls against guys. You in?" I looked at Adam and he smiled.

"I've gotta get going anyways," he told me. "I have work in a couple of hours." I nodded and smiled as he gathered his stuff up and whistled for Cassie. The Border Collie ran obediently to his side and Aurora returned to lay on my towel. I took out a bowl and poured some water in it for Aurora before standing up.

"Well I guess I'll see you later," I told Adam. He then leaned in and brushed his lips against my cheek lightly.

"I'll call you," he promised, before turning and walking off. My face was on fire. I had never been anything even bordering on intimate with a guy before. Turning to Ferb, I noticed that he was stalking off towards the net that Alex and Phineas were setting up with Gretchen and Isabella. I sighed and followed him, wondering if this development would change everything.

Night fell in what had seemed like no time and quickly, the guys had a large fire going. I was now dressed in a baggy grey sweatshirt and faded skinny jeans, my bare feet digging into the sand as I sat on a folding chair. Aurora was laying at my side as I held a stick with a hot dog on it, trying to get it cooked perfectly. Phineas and Isabella were in a heated argument about books versus their movie counterparts – Isabella on the side of books, while Phineas was a firm believer in movies – while Gretchen sat on Alex's lap, alternating between making out and making s'mores. This left Ferb and I sitting in slightly uncomfortable silence. I had tried talking to him, but at most received one word answers. Finally, he exploded, albeit quietly, whispering furiously at me.

"How the fuck could you let him kiss you? Are you two dating? What the hell do you see in him? He's an absolute douchebag and cheats on girls and hurts them. You're only going to end up hurt. You're such an idiot, God what the fuck is wrong with y-"

"Ferb shut the fuck up for a minute," I snapped at him. He looked at me, his breathing laboured and his eyes showing a mixture of emotions I couldn't figure out. "One, he kissed my cheek; happens all the time. Two, we're not dating, but may go out. It's none of your business either way. Three, don't ever call me an idiot again. And finally? What I see in him is a nice, charming guy that is fun to be with, listens to me, shares my interests, and isn't constantly mercurial whenever he's around me unlike a certain Brit that I know." Ferb stared at me, stunned for a minute, before standing up, pulling a joint from his pocket and walking off.

Ferb wouldn't speak to me for the rest of the evening. I guess that answered my question about whether or not things would change. When I got home, I couldn't escape the van and Ferb's angry aura fast enough. I practically ran from him and into the sanctity of my bedroom. I fell onto my futon and Sym and Picasso jumped up to snuggle me while Aurora laid in the dog nest.

"I don't get it," I whispered to the dogs, "I thought Ferb was becoming my friend." My voice cracked slightly, and I felt moisture forming behind my eyes. Picasso gingerly licked my cheek while Sym laid his head on my chest, snuggling into me. I pressed my arm against my eyes, furious at myself. This wasn't me. It wasn't who I was. I closed my eyes, comforted by the presence of my dogs, and drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The week passed slowly. Adam was doing his best to spend as much time as possible with me while Ferb was refusing to speak to me unless completely necessary and even then it was bare minimum responses. It was a strange change of pace to have Ferb behave towards me the way he did with everybody else. By Wednesday I was upset enough to call Isabella over to my house so we could talk about it.

"Dad, a friend is coming over for a while okay?" I was standing in the kitchen, leaning onto the island, watching while my Dad worked at the kitchen table on his laptop.

"Mhm, is it Phineas again? If so I'd like for him to look at my laptop quickly to see if he could make it run a bit faster." My father, William Scott, was a hot shot lawyer and on his way to becoming a partner at the firm. He could barely work his iTunes, however, and when he found out Phineas was a bit of a mechanical genius, he immediately began using him as his go to about all things technological.

"No Dad, it's not Phineas," I hesitated for a moment. "Actually Isabella is coming over." The words were almost whispered. I had never had any female friends growing up, especially not ones that I would ever invite over to my house. This was a huge step for me. My Dad looked up at me, eyebrows raised.

"As in a girl?" he asked incredulously. I laid my head onto my arms, hiding my face so he couldn't see the blush forming and muttered an affirmative answer. "Well… that's good kiddo. You know… having a girl to talk to and stuff… I mean you can always talk to me about boys or women issues if you want… I have read books and stuff…" It was at that point that I ran downstairs to my bedroom and laid, facedown, on my futon, completely mortified.

I knew that it was hard on my Dad, trying to raise a daughter with nobody to help him. He wasn't able to find another girlfriend after my mom died so he focused on work and raising his kids. Matt and Caleb were easy for him, but when it came to me, he knew nothing about dresses, ballet, tea parties, or shoes. Matt pretty much took over from there and did what he could for me. It's one thing receiving a talk about your menstrual cycle from a parent, but it's a whole other ball game when it comes from a brother five years your senior. I have to say, though, that Matt was great at being my surrogate mom. When I hit thirteen and became a nightmare to live with due to puberty, however, my Dad figured the best way to handle me was to let me get a dog as a companion. It worked out for all of us in the end.

I rolled over and looked at my dogs lying together in their nest. I don't know what I would have done without them in my life and normally I would just talk about my problems with them or Matt, but this required an experienced girls input and the only one I knew was Isabella. There was a knock at my door, and without waiting for a response, Isabella came into my room. She sat on the floor to pet Aurora and said nothing. I realized I would have to start the conversation, even if she knew why she was there.

"Alright, well Ferb isn't talking to me." She nodded and I sat on the floor with me. "Ever since Saturday he's been giving me the cold shoulder and I don't get it." Isabella said nothing, but gave me a look that said she knew I was aware of why. I sighed a bit. "Fine Isa, so Adam may have sort of asked me out and kissed my cheek, but what does that matter to Ferb? We were hardly friends let alone anything more. I didn't do anything wrong, yet he's making me feel like I'm some sort of awful person for accepting the offer of a guy who's only ever been nice to me. So what the hell am I going to do?" Isabella sat, thinking for a minute, before pulling out her cell phone and calling somebody.

"Hey Phin? Yeah it's Isa; I'm over at Elle's place. Yeah. Mhm. That's what I thought. Well, do what you can, I hate seeing either of them like this. No she hasn't. Friday I think." She looked up at me, "You're going out with Adam Friday night right?" I nodded. "Yeah on Friday. Well I don't know. Just tell him to stop being a dick, she did nothing wrong. Alright Phin, you're the best. Bye." She hung up her phone, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. I raised an eyebrow, looking at her skeptically.

"The hell was that?" I asked her. She laughed a bit.

"Phin said that he would talk to Ferb about how much of an ass he's being." She reached over and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me lightly. I smiled a bit in spite of myself.

"Thank you," I told her softly. She just shrugged it off and we continued chatting about everything and nothing all at once until she left for home. Once I was alone, I really began to think about my relationship with the Flynn-Fletcher boys and what I'd like for it to be until I drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Friday came, and I found myself staring into my closet as I prepared for my date with Adam, a million thoughts running through my mind. Phineas had talked to Ferb, but nothing seemed to have changed. It had become nearly impossible to deal with him in English, but I steadied myself and had made a decision. If Ferb didn't want to be friends, I didn't either.

Adam told me to dress casual when I asked him about what we were doing, so I decided to wear skinny jeans and my Vans, but couldn't decide on a shirt. I flicked through the hangers and vetoed t-shirts, deciding finally on a loose, off the shoulder, floral shirt. I then went over to my mirror and ran my fingers through my hair, getting most of the tangles out of it without destroying the waves. I put on a little concealer, mascara, eyeliner, and some lip gloss before throwing my wallet, keys, cell phone, and sunglasses into my purse. Checking my watch, I saw that Adam should be arriving in half an hour or so. He would be driving us to the mystery location, since he was already seventeen –he had been held back a year – with his license.

I went upstairs, the dogs following behind me, and entered the living room to find Matt there watching TV. I sat down beside him on the couch as the dogs scattered around the room. Matt threw his arm around me without taking his eyes off the screen, and smiled.

"So, big date to day," he said, attempting to sound nonchalant. I knew that he was concerned; it was my first date ever.

"Not really Matty, it's going to me more like a hang out." I could feel my face heating up slightly. Matt hated that I wasn't his baby sister anymore, but didn't want to act like a parent with me.

"If he pays for everything it's a date." Matt sat quietly for a second, and I could see the wheels turning in his head as he processed something. Finally he took a deep breath. "Look, Ellie, I want to lay out some safety rules." He cleared his throat. "Umm, don't have sex with him. If you ever do decide to have sex you make sure he wears a condom. If he doesn't have one, don't risk it. Also, keep my cell number on speed dial if you need me call. My phone will be with me at all times. I'll show up with Picasso and we'll kill the guy if he hurts you at all. Don't feel like you even have to kiss him or anything, okay? You don't owe him anything at all. That's it I guess." I chuckled softly and leaned over, wrapping my arms around Matt's waist and hugging him tightly, kissing his cheek.

"I'll be safe. I love you Matty."

"I love you too kid."

There was then a knock at the door and Picasso rushed it, barking his alert. I stood up and sighed slightly, not entirely looking forward to the sort of date with Adam. I went to the door, sending Picasso back into the living room and took a steadying breath. I opened the door and smiled at Adam.

He looked great. He was wearing black jeans that hugged his legs without being tight or feminine. He wore a red plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His hair was messy in an endearing way and a soft smile was on his lips as his eyes roamed down my body. I blushed lightly.

"Ready to go? I have an evening of adventure planned for us," he said, holding out his hand to me. I looked back at Matt in the living room, and he gave me a thumbs up, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'm gone Matty, I'll be home later tonight," I told him.

"Midnight at the latest Elle. Remember what I told you," Matt replied. I chuckled softly and left with Adam, heading towards his old Honda Civic.

"Sorry it's nothing fancy," he said, sounding almost embarrassed. "The Crap Car looks like shit, but it gets me where I need to be, so I don't complain." I smiled at him as he opened my door, allowing me in. The dark grey car was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint and a fair bit of cosmetic work, but it seemed homey, like the little thing had this charm and personality to it.

"I think it's lovely," I told him, buckling up my seatbelt as he started the car. "So, where are we headed?"

"First we're going to have some dinner, and then the real date, which is a surprise," he told me. I smiled out of excitement and turned to look out the window as we headed towards downtown, the suburbs flying by. The song on the radio sounded familiar and I turned it up slightly to hear it better. It was The Smiths song that Ferb was singing last week as we headed towards the beach.

For the first time I really heard the lyrics. Lines about being content to die beside the one you love; words expressing the fear of rejection and not feeling at home where they live and fear gripping them so they couldn't ask something. For the first time it occurred to me that maybe the enigmatic Ferb might have been trying to tell me something in his own obscure way.

"You like this song?" Adam asked, drawing me from my quickly darkening thoughts. I smiled at him, trying to banish thoughts of the green haired boy from my mind.

"Yeah, I do. It seems kind of sad, though, don't you think?" Adam thought for a minute as the song ended talking about a light that never goes out.

"I don't know about sad, I mean, it's about true love isn't it?" I shrugged content to leave it at that, as Adam parked in front of Better Panda. I grinned as we got out of the car and headed inside.

Dinner was good, the conversation was light and relaxed, and by the time Adam had paid for the meal, I had forgotten about Ferb and his mercurial mannerisms. When we got back into the Civic, Adam handed me a scarf.

"As a blindfold," he told me when I hesitated, "I don't want to ruin this surprise for you." I tied the blindfold around my eyes, somewhat begrudgingly, and tried to calm down as Adam and I continued chatting. It was uncomfortable being blindfolded and it lasted for twenty minutes, before finally we stopped and I heard Adam put the car into park. I took off the blindfold and laughed when I saw that we were in the parking lot of an amusement park.

The date was nothing less than fun and amazing. Adam was a true charmer and managed to keep the conversation from falling into a lull. We screamed on the rollercoasters, laughed in the fun house, and watched the fireworks as night fell. By the time we were heading back to Adam's car at 10:30, I was thoroughly tired out, and feeling like I was on Cloud 9. That was when the strangest thing happened. We were sitting in Adam's car, and suddenly, without warning, he was kissing me. His large hand was wrapped around the back of my head and his tongue was invading my mouth. I tried to push him away, but he kept insisting. Finally I managed to slap his face and he pulled away from me, looking baffled.

"Adam, what the fuck?" I was enraged with him. Not because I didn't want to kiss him, but because I didn't want it to be like this. It seemed so primal and uncaring. I quickly opened the car door and stalked back towards the carnival to escape from him and his confused expression. I could hear him calling my name, but didn't turn back.

I was mortified and embarrassed by what happened and racked my brain to find somebody that could pick me up without asking too many questions. I finally pulled out my phone and dialed the number of the last person I would imagine calling. Thankfully he answered.

"Ferb? It's um, Elena. I'm in a bit of trouble; can you come get me at the carnival? Please?" My voice was shaking; worried that he would hang up.

"I'll be there shortly." He hung up the phone and just like that, my body relaxed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

It took Ferb exactly thirty-four minutes and eleven seconds from the time he hung up the phone until he was standing before me. I looked everywhere but at his navy blue eyes where I knew I would find 'I told you so,' hidden in their depths. I took in his clothing first. He wore black, ratty classic Converse All Stars, and purple skinny jeans. On his torso were three layers, a white v-neck shirt, a black vest, and a black military style jacket. I could see the edge of his tattoo by his collar bone, and it occurred to me that I never even looked at it while we were at the beach; I was too wrapped up in myself and Adam. My eyes then travelled upwards along his neck and to his lips. He was frowning at me, but wasn't speaking, apparently waiting for me to make the first move. My eyes darted to the ground in front of me as I felt my lip begin to tremble slightly. I cursed myself as my eyes welled up with tears, begging my body not to cry in front of Ferb. I heard him sigh, and the next thing I knew, my face was pressed to his solid chest, his arms around my body.

"I know you said not to, but… you're an idiot Elena Scott." I managed a weak chuckle as he let go of me and led me to his family's red station wagon. "You wanna tell me what happened?" I shrugged and climbed into the car. Ferb got into the driver's seat, but didn't start the car. He simply turned and looked at me. "Even if it's a lie, I need to tell my Mom what the emergency was." I took a deep breath.

"I guess… Just tell her that the date didn't go well and nobody else could pick me up and I was scared to be here alone and didn't know how to walk home from here and had no money for a cab?" I looked out the side window, silently begging for Ferb to just take me home. He sat in silence for a few seconds before sighing and starting the car. We travelled back towards home, the only sound coming out of the radio, but I wasn't listening; I was replaying what happened and feeling worse about it every time.

"He kissed me." I finally said. I could hear Ferb's hands tighten around the wheel. "It scared me. It wasn't a nice kiss. It was primal and urgent and demanding. It was like a necessary prelude to something more, but I didn't want it. I freaked out. I ran away and I didn't know who to call so I called you." I sank down into the seat, resting my head against the window as the realization of what I had done occurred to me. I called a boy who wasn't even my friend to pick me up from a failed date with a guy that he hated. I felt like the dumbest girl imaginable.

Houses passed by in a whirl and I wondered desperately what the lives of the occupants were like. I wondered if I could live their lives for even a day, just so I didn't have to feel the way I felt as I sat beside the one guy I swore never to have feelings for.

"Let me ask you a question," he finally said. "Why didn't you want it?" I finally looked over at his eyes, and there was no malice in them. I wasn't sure what they were displaying, but it certainly wasn't anger at me. I thought long and hard about it. Adam was attractive, he was charming, smart, funny, and we shared the same interests.

"Because that's not how I want to live." We were at a red light and Ferb looked over at me, our eyes meeting for the first time tonight. "I don't want to live my life like a being driven by instinct. I didn't want to feel like I should make out with him simply because he's attractive or because he's a great person and I really like him. If I was going to do shit, I want there to be something more."

"Something more, or something else?"

"Both." I honestly didn't know what I meant. I had no idea what that thing was, or how I would know it when I had it. All I knew was that it felt wrong to be groped at in the Civic after being at a carnival and eating Chinese food. Ferb nodded as if he understood. Soon we pulled up outside of my house. I glanced quickly at Ferb, and then opened the door, deciding to make a hasty escape. "Can you not tell anybody about this? Please? I want to pretend it never happened."

"Sure," he replied. I closed the door and hurried up my driveway towards the backyard so I could sneak into the basement without having to deal with Matt or my Dad. Caleb didn't give a shit about me, so I wasn't concerned about him.

I made it into the basement without running into anybody and escaped to my bedroom, to sleep off the awful night with all of its oddities.

The weekend then passed as I acted in a way I hadn't done since I moved here. I hid out in my bedroom, only emerging to walk the dogs and perform other necessities, while I watched all of my favourite 80's movies. I kept my phone off the entire time, because I was sick of receiving apologetic phone calls and texts from Adam. I had thought my absence had gone unnoticed until some interesting guests appeared in my bedroom Sunday morning.

I was laying on my futon wearing black boys boxers and my old school phys ed t-shirt, with Picasso curled into my side, Sym and Aurora in the dog nest, and watching The Breakfast Club, quoting dialogue in my head. My hair was piled into a bun on the top of my head, and I was in no state to go out or be seen by people. That had never stopped Isabella from barging into my room before, however, so when the head of long black hair poked into my doorway, making sure I was at least dressed, I wasn't the least bit surprised that a knock hadn't come before it.

"Hey Isa, wanna watch The Breakfast Club?" I asked her, moving over to give her room on my bed. Picasso grumbled his annoyance at being shifted, but didn't make any move to leave my side. She opened the door completely and I felt my heart drop into my stomach when Phineas, Ferb, and she all walked into my room.

"Don't mind if I do, my fine hermit friend," Phineas declared, laying on the bed beside me and reaching over to give Picasso a quick pat. Picasso simply sighed in contentment.

"That's an oxymoron Phin. You can't have a hermit as a friend. That's not the point though, what the hell are you guys doing here?" I gave Ferb a pointed look, trying to telepathically find out if he had told them about what happened. The green haired boy simply sat on my floor on the opposite side of the room as me, his eyes fixed on my TV as Bender told Vernon to eat his shorts.

"I was worried about you," Isabella admitted. I looked at her confused. "Well, you went on your date and then I hadn't heard from you. I couldn't reach you on your phone or anything so I figured I'd come over here. I promised Phin that I'd hang out with him though, and he brought Ferb along with us. So, what happened? How'd the date go? Are you going to see him again? Did he kiss you? Was it great?" My eyes flicked to Ferb quickly and I saw his jaw clench. I laughed off Isabella's questions, focusing on petting Picasso.

"Ah it was fine Isa. I don't know if I'm going to go out with him again though, I think he's more of a friend than a boyfriend," it was a bold faced lie, but only myself, Ferb, and of course my dogs, knew that. Isabella just smiled at me.

"Oh well, at least you had a good time right?"

"It was great. So now that you guys know I'm alive you can get going." I really wanted them to leave so that I could go back to being alone and finish thinking everything through. I was seriously considering giving Adam a call, and if I did, I didn't want anybody to be witness to it.

"Now, now Ellie dear," Phineas laid his head on my chest as he spoke, and my heart picked up speed slightly. It was a completely innocent gesture, but one that – in any other context – held intimacy. "I've hardly seen you. I need time with you. I get separation anxiety you know." I chuckled a bit and hugged him slightly.

"Yeah whatever you big sook," I told him playfully. I smiled, feeling more content and relaxed than I had since my date. I don't know why I didn't think to hang out with Phineas and Isabella before this. "You can all stay if you want, but can you let me get dressed into something a bit more decent? I feel kind of naked."

I kicked the three of them out of my room. Phineas and Isabella went upstairs to get some food so that we could all have a movie day. Phineas wanted to watch through my entire collection of 80's movies, and as long as I didn't have to go anywhere and risk running into Adam, I was content. I was in my bra and underwear, picking out a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt when my door opened. I panicked and turned to stare at Ferb, my mouth hanging open in shock. His navy eyes stayed on mine, never once darting down to witness me in my indecent state.

"Look, I'm not going to get another chance to say this. What happened on Friday was a one-time thing, got it? I'm not going to be running out to save you every time you refuse to listen to me and fuck up. Didn't I tell you he was bad news? That he hurts girls?" I could see the anger in his eyes and turned away, pulling on my jeans and a green, baggy t-shirt.

"Yeah. Got it." My voice sounded dead, even to me. I was so angry about this. I didn't need saving, I wasn't that girl. I heard Ferb sigh softly behind me, and felt his hands on my shoulders, turning me around. I couldn't look up at him until his fingers under my chin forced me to.

"You scared the shit out of me Elle. I get a call late at night and all you tell me is that you're in trouble. I thought he really hurt you." I could see, now, that there was concern mixed with his anger; it was something I had never noticed before. "Just listen to me next time, okay?" I nodded and suddenly my arms were around his waist, hugging him tightly. He hugged me back for a few moments before clearing his throat and pushing me away gently. I looked up at him to see his regular smirk on his face. "You're giving me a hard on." I laughed and smacked him, without true hostility, and sat back on my futon. Ferb sat in my desk chair.

When Phineas and Isabella came back, we popped in Ghostbusters and ate popcorn while laughing and talking about everything. It was an amazing feeling, having friends like these, and I was so happy that things were back to our precarious normalcy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

At lunch on Monday I was seated between Phineas and Baljeet, having an intense conversation regarding the upcoming math test. I was freaking out, because math was my weak point while Phineas and Baljeet were both trying to tutor me at the same time. I sighed and laid my forehead in the middle of my workbook, completely frustrated.

"Guys, I'm just not getting it. It just isn't sticking," I complained. In the past half hour we had managed to get through only a quarter of what I needed to know. "Let's all just admit that I'm an idiot when it comes to math and am destined to fail this test."

"Alright, you can have a break, but after school today we are all getting together at my house and you will learn this stuff," Phineas finally conceded. I grinned at him and happily put away my books into my bag. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Adam standing behind me.

"Can we talk Elena? Please?" Since nobody but myself, Ferb, and Adam knew about what happened on my date, I smiled to my friends and stood up to go with him.

"Sure, let's go outside," I told him as I grabbed my bag and made my way out the doors of the cafeteria towards the back field. Adam and I walked in silence until we reached the bleachers at the football field. I sat down and looked expectantly at Adam. He sighed and sat beside me, seeming to collect his thoughts before saying anything.

"I want to apologize again for what happened," he started and as he began to tell me about the mixed signals he was receiving and how he thought it was what I wanted, I began to look around the field. There were groups of students gathered in their individual cliques. There were jocks playing a quick game, their preppy girlfriends cheering them on, and hipsters and druggies getting high by the parking lot. My eyes lingered on this last group the longest, searching for a familiar green head. After our movie day yesterday, I honestly considered us friends. I didn't see him though, and looked back at Adam.

"Look Adam, maybe we should just be friends, okay? After we know each other better maybe we can go out again. That's the best I can do," I informed him. He smiled that charming smile I knew well by now and nodded, standing up.

"That's more than I expected. Anyways, I've have to get going, I'll see you later Elle." And then he was gone. I stayed on the bleachers, enjoying the sun and some time to myself, while I thought about how strange my life had been since moving to Danville. I had met some really cool people who had become my friends, I no longer hid in my room constantly, and I was going out and having fun. It was a nice change for me.

"Hey Ellie." I looked up to see Phineas beside me. He sat down and stretched his arms high over his head, the whole time a grin played on his lips.

"What are you grinning about Phin?" I asked him, knowing it was probably nothing.

"It's a beautiful Monday Elle, my dear, and I intend to make the most of it." I laughed and nudged his shoulder.

"Does that include making me understand math?"

"Exclusively," he told me, turning towards me and winking.

After school that day, I went home to freshen up a bit before heading over to the Flynn-Fletcher house. Upon entering the house, I greeted my Dad who was in the kitchen. He was in his suit with his briefcase in one hand, and his cell phone in the other.

"Hi sweetie, I've got to head back to the office okay?" I nodded at him and grabbed an apple.

"Yeah, I'm going over to Phineas' place so he can help me with math," I told him. Dad walked over and kissed my forehead before heading for the door.

"There's money in the jar for pizza if you're hungry later," he called out as he left briskly. I headed downstairs while eating my apple, passing Caleb in the den who was playing a videogame and yelling into his microphone at his teammates. I looked at him with disdain, but he paid me no attention, as usual.

I was probably in the top five on Caleb's list of least favourite people throughout history. A lot of people talk about how they don't get along with their sibling, but it was a unique situation between Caleb, and realistically the rest of our family. Caleb is technically my half-brother. My mom and Dad met in high school and were best friends. After they graduated, they wanted to progress to something more so they started dating. A year later, my mom found herself pregnant with Matt who is five years older than me. She and Dad tried to work things out, but Dad wanted to become a lawyer, so mom did what she thought was best, and decided to raise Matt alone. That was when she met Caleb's dad Alan. Her and Alan got married, had Caleb two years after Matt and settled to have a wonderful life together. A little while after they had Caleb, Alan left her for his secretary. I don't know all the details on this part of the story, but from what I gather, she divorced Alan, ran back to mine and Matt's Dad, and we lived happily ever after until she died.

Caleb, as a result, has never seemed to accept me, Matt, or Dad as his "true" family, though, and as a result treats us with as much disdain as he can muster. He's respectful to Dad, though, because he's really the only father he's ever truly known, but I guess that's why Caleb gets so angry whenever we bring up our mom, because that was really the only full family he had left.

I changed into track pants, and a more comfortable t-shirt, grabbed my math books, phone, wallet, and keys, and headed back into the den.

"Caleb, is Matty around?" I asked him while he was still in the menu, as to not incur his wrath due to an interrupted game. He looked over at me.

"Where the hell are you going?" I sighed. Most of my conversations went this way with Caleb, both of us asking questions, and neither of us seeming to get a straight answer.

"Is it any of your business? Look Cal, I just need a ride to a friend's house. Is Matt around or not?" He shrugged and put down the controller; a first.

"Haven't seen him. Now where are you going?"

"Over to a friend's house."

"Which friend?"

"Does it matter?" I was getting frustrated with him.

"Is it that hot black haired chick?"

"If it is will you drive me?" I was sinking so low that I was almost resorting to using my tenuous best friend as bait. Caleb looked thoughtful for a moment.

"No, I can check out her ass more if you have her over." I shut my eyes tightly, taking a deep breath, and trying not to scream in frustration.

"Caleb, can you just drive me over to Phin's house so I won't have to fail this fucking test?" It wasn't as nice as it probably should have been, but Caleb was really trying my patience at this point. He simply shrugged and stood up.

"No need to get your big girl panties in a knot Elephant." I almost hit him for resorting to the tortuous nick-name he had bestowed upon me when we were kids. "Just let me grab my keys and we'll go." I rolled my eyes, thankful, at least, for the ride, and headed upstairs and out to his car where I sat in silence for the ride.

We pulled up outside of Phineas' house and Caleb cleared his throat, looking over at me.

"Look, I know you're a self-righteous bitch and all, but Dr. Miller explained you're my only real connection to Mom left and wants me to start trying to make and effort. So look, this is me, albeit reluctantly, trying. I'd appreciate it if you'd haul your head out of Matt's ass long enough to do the same. Now get the fuck out of my car." I escaped Caleb and his sudden spill of honesty quickly, stunned into silence. Dr. Miller was the psychiatrist he had been seeing for the past four years, after he started getting a bit out of control with his anger towards us all. Apparently it was starting to finally take effect.

Shaking my head to try and steady myself emotionally, I headed to the door and rang the doorbell, slightly stunned when I realized there was a platypus sitting on the front step next to me.

"You must be Perry," I murmured to the strange creature and he looked up at me, making a sound that could only be described as almost clicking. The door opened and I was face to face with Phineas. "Hey Phin, I'm not too early am I? Caleb was in a strangely good mood, so I figured I'd better get a ride from him now."

"You're timing is impeccable, as always," Phin informed me, a goofy grin playing on his lips. Perry chattered and walked in past Phineas. "Oh, there you are Perry, I was wondering where you had disappeared to. Come on in Elena, we can study in mine and Ferb's room." I nodded and followed him in, leaving my shoes at the door, and headed past the living room where his parents were watching a movie.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher." They looked up at me and grinned.

"Please sweetie, just call us Linda and Lawrence. Flynn-Fletcher is just such a mouthful." Linda told me. I nodded, smiling and went upstairs with Phineas, into his bedroom.

It was so interesting seeing the difference between Phineas and Ferb's sides. Phineas had his half littered with blueprints and CD's covering every surface except for his bed. Ferb, on the other hand, kept his half completely tidy, all of his books and CD's had its proper place, and there wasn't even a sock on the floor to indicate it belonged to a teenage boy. The only thing that showed any real personality was a massive red toolbox, which was open and spilling over with various tools; most of which I couldn't even begin to name.

I sat on Phineas' bed beside him and laid out my math books, glaring at them with a disdain I normally saved for boy-bands and Caleb. Phineas laid down, stretching out his frame beside me.

"So what do you want to start with?" Phineas asked me. I looked over at him and sighed.

"I don't know, I guess fractions? They are my weakest point. Or should we wait for everyone else?" Phineas simply laughed and winked at me.

"Darling, you are everyone else. Isa's test isn't until next week, Baljeet definitely doesn't need a study session, and he'll probably help Buford with whatever he needs." I smiled down at him and opened up my workbook.

"Then I guess we should get started. The sooner I learn this stuff, the better." Phineas sat up behind me, one leg on either side of my body, his chest to my back, and his chin on my shoulder. His arms wrapped around my waist as he watched me struggle through problem after problem. I could feel heat travel up my neck and down towards where his hands were resting near my belly. It was the most intimate position I had ever found myself in – not counting, of course, the incident with Adam – and I found I didn't necessarily hate it. It was comfortable when it came to Phineas, and it was nice to know that he would never force anything on me.

"Alright, now when you're adding, you have to find the LCD, remember?" I could feel his breath on my neck, and it caused goosebumps.

"Right." My breath came out shaky, and I prayed that he wouldn't notice.

"Has anybody ever told you that your hair smells absolutely divine?" Phineas asked me, I could hear a slightly teasing note in his voice. Turning my head to look at him, I found our noses touching, as I looked into his oceanic eyes.

"Phin, didn't your mother ever tell you not to tease impressionable young girls?" I asked him. He chuckled and I felt it resonate against my back.

"Well yes, but I'd rather listen to what my Dad says."

"And what might that be Flynn?" I could fell his breath, short puffs of air against my lips.

"That you should never avoid kissing a stunning girl if she's willing." And then his lips pressed against mine, lightly, hesitantly. I was shocked, but it was so easy to be around Phineas, that I felt my body reciprocating eagerly.

I turned my body towards him as his arms held me securely against his body, mine pressed against his muscled chest. This felt nice, it felt right, it felt like that something more I had spoken to Ferb about a few nights before.

I hadn't heard the door open, but couldn't mistake the sound of somebody clearing their throat. Phineas and I broke apart and looked up to see Ferb, leaning against the door frame. His expression was a mixture of amusement and disgust. It was strange to see.

"Somebody moves on fast." At his words my heart dropped into my stomach.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: sorry it's been so long since the last upload, I'm hoping to start updating with more frequency. This chapter is a bit more of a filler and the next will have increased plot action. MF**

Chapter Nine

It felt like eternity as I stared at Ferb, completely mortified at the position he found me in. Phineas' arms tightened slightly around my body, and I glanced back at him to see a cocky grin on his face.

"Hey Ferb, what are you up to?" he asked as if nothing had happened. I turned into his body slightly, trying to disappear, but failing valiantly.

"Nothing bro, I just came up to grab my pot. Mom and Dad just left so it's prime time to get high." Ferb walked over to his nightstand, pulled a small tin out of it, and left as suddenly as he appeared. I felt Phineas' fingers under my chin, tilting my face up to look at him. My face was burning and I knew I was blushing. Phineas just chuckled and lightly kissed me again.

"Don't be embarrassed Ellie. I've walked in on Ferb doing things a lot more intense than we were doing." I raised an eyebrow at him, questioningly. "Sex," he clarified, "Ferb is a bit of a slut." He laughed and nuzzled his nose into my neck and I sighed slightly.

"Phin… What does this mean for us?" It was the question I was nervous to ask, but knew I had to.

"Well, I'd like for it to mean that you belong to me, but what do you want?" He said belong, as in posessive. It made it sound like he owned me, but realistically, what did I know? He would be my first real boyfriend. I smiled shyly up at him, making a decision and nodded slightly.

"I'd like that too Phin," I told him. He leaned in and went back to kissing me, leaning me back onto his bed, his body pressed ontop of mine, and the textbooks completely forgotten.

Weeks passed and it felt like it was all fused together into one blur. Phineas and I were now dating, though taking it somewhat slow. Adam acted like he didn't care, but his smiles never seemed genuine. He was still pursuing our tentative friendship, and on some levels I was grateful. We did have a lot in common after all. Ferb, on the other hand, seemed to refuse to acknowledge my relationship with his brother. He was now avoiding me like I had the plague, and during English, he would only say things relating to our assignments, nothing more. It was a bit annoying, and I didn't entirely understand what changed. Ferb had no feelings for me, despite what Isabella may believe.

I had made it through my first two months of school, with only a couple hiccups, and was actually looking forward to the upcoming Halloween with the gang. Isabella was having a huge masquerade party at her house and almost the entire school was invited. I was only partially looking forward to it, but put all of my energy into helping Isabella get things ready. Unfortunately that meant that I hadn't had time to find a costume until a few days before the party. After school, once I was at home, I called Phineas.

"Phin, you've gotta help me. I still need a stupid costume for Isa's party." He laughed at my desperate plea, and agreed to venture downtown with me.

"I'll meet you at the bus stop in ten?" I agreed happily and grabbed my stuff before heading upstairs. As I passed the kitchen, I spotted my Dad standing at the island with a big cardboard box in front of him. I could hear shuffling coming from it, and my curiosity got the better of me.

"Hey Dad, what are you up to?" I asked him, making my way towards the island. Dad smiled his soft grin and chuckled.

"Look what I found outside the office, they look abandoned." I peered into the box and gasped softly. Inside were four tiny pit bull puppies. They looked no older than six weeks as the played with one another. I reached in and picked one up, holding it to my chest as it started to lick my face.

"They're beautiful Dad, what are you going to do with them?" He shrugged a bit, and I decided to take a chance. "Well we can't bring them to the shelter, they'll probably be put down since they're pit bulls and apparently unadoptable." I looked down into the expressive brown eyes of the puppy I was holding. How anybody could think these dogs, and not their owners, were dangerous was beyond me.

"Well what do you think we should do Ellie? We can't take on four new dogs, you know that." I blushed softly, my father knew me too well.

"Let me find homes for them, okay? I'll start their training and find them good homes." I looked up at my Dad, eyes pleading with him. He sighed and laughed a bit.

"I knew you'd suggest that. Yes, you can find them homes, you get until Christmas, got it?" I put the puppy back in the box and hugged my Dad tightly.

"Thanks Dad, that's more than enough time." I grabbed the box and headed back down to my bedroom. Upon entering, my dogs immediately got up and came over to investigate the puppies. I laid the box on the floor and lifted the pups out so that they could explore and the dogs could get to know them. Aurora picked up a small beige and white one and brought it to the nest where she began to clean it. Picasso laid down and let two of the puppies climb all over him, while Sym retreated onto my bed to hide from the persistence of the remaining puppy that had the most spunk.

I picked up the offender and began to look it over. It was female, and she was blue with a white chest and pale blue eyes. She gently mouthed my finger, tail wagging happily. She definitely had a spark to her that the other puppies didn't, and would consequently be the most difficult to place. This type of personality in a golden retriever would be endearing, but in a pit bull it is always mistaken as aggressive. I sighed deeply and placed her with her littermates.

"Alright you three, watch the puppies, I'll only be gone for a few hours so make sure they don't get into any trouble." Sym whined slightly, but stayed put, placing his head on his paws. I left the dogs, knowing that they would be okay and headed to the bus stop, running late as usual.

When I reached the stop, Phineas was already there, his usual playful grin graced his lips as he saw me approach. Wrapping his arms tightly around my body, he leaned his head down and kissed me gently.

"Hey Elle, what took so long?" I laughed a little.

"My Dad found four abandoned puppies and brought them home. I just had to put them with my dogs before I left so they couldn't get into trouble," I explained to him. Phin pressed his lips to my forehead.

"You're like the Mother Teresa of the animal kingdom," he said teasingly. I swatted his chest playfully and laughed. The bus soon pulled up at the stop and we got on. As we travelled to the Googolplex mall, I told him all about the puppies and how I'd have to find them decent homes by Christmas. He listened attentively as I explained how they're pit bulls and it may become really hard to place them, because of the bad name that they've gotten even though they make the best family dogs; that they would die to protect their family.

By the time that we reached the mall, I had Phineas well versed on pit bulls and he probably knew more than he would ever have to on the subject, but he never interrupted me or tried to take the conversation in a different direction. He was attentive and supportive the whole time.

"So you're really passionate about dogs then?" he remarked as we strolled towards the seasonal shop that sold costume for Halloween. I nodded and smiled shyly.

"I guess so, I mean, I'm pretty passionate about animals in general, but I adore dogs." I thought for a moment, "Honestly I'd love to run my own shelter, but I'm pretty sure Dad would have a complete fit. Three dogs is more than enough apparently." Phineas laughed and kissed my forehead.

"You disagree?" he asked. I looked up at him and he had a slight smirk on his lips, an eyebrow cocked almost mockingly. I shrugged slightly as we strolled through the mall.

"Maybe not disagree exactly, but I don't think you can really put a number on the about of dogs you own, I mean, by the time you hit two that are well behaved, adding more doesn't really take any effort as long as they're well balanced." Phineas nodded his understanding and I sighed slightly as we approached the costume store. The costumes on display revolted me slightly. It was all 'Slutty Nurse' and 'Slutty Vampire.' Mentally shuddering at the thought of dressing as anything 'Slutty' I entered the store with Phin.

We both wandered off in different directions, Phineas to check out the mechanized decorations for build ideas, and myself to find a costume. As I leafed through the racks, I was beginning to feel like it was in vain.

'Why can't I just find a regular kind of costume?' I thought to myself. 'I mean, like a regular nurse. Or even a regular witch. Why do they all have to be showing more skin than practical?' A pair of long arms wrapped around me and without thinking I leaned back into them, assuming my boyfriend had snuck up behind me in an attempt to startle me out of my thoughts. I sighed softly as a nose began to nuzzle into my neck but then froze. Cold metal was pressing into my skin. I felt hot breath on my neck as a deep chuckle resounded from the man behind me. Spinning violently out of his grasp I turned to glare at the only guy I knew with a lip ring. His forest green hair hung down around his glasses as he stared into my eyes, a cocky smirk playing on his lips.

"I'd go with the nurse if I were you," Ferb stated, his eyes roving over my body. He looked like a starved man and it set me on edge.

"I was thinking more along the lines of the paperbag princess. You know, cover as much skin as possible?" I shot back. I was feeling unnerved by him, his eyes seemed wrong somehow. He laughed, but it came out almost as a bark.

"Only if I get to rip it off you." I turned away, having to break eye contact with him. He was seriously freaking me out a bit. Ferb reached out and grabbed my wrist.

"So where's lover boy?" he spat out, trying to turn me back towards him. I wrenched my wrist from his glass.

"He's around here somewhere. If you'll excuse me." I hurried away from him, my heart racing in my chest, adrenaline pumping through my body triggering flight. I snagged a few costumes off the wall hurriedly and rushed into an empty changing room, locking it quickly behind me. I stared at my reflection as I tried to calm the pounding heart and rapid lungs in my chest that betrayed my feelings. I refused to acknowledge what had just happened and began to try on costumes, mindlessly deciding on the one that was the most flattering, an ethereal forest elf costume complete with a wreath for my head. Honestly it covered the most skin and I just wanted to get out of here with Phin without running into his brother again. A knock on the changing room door startled me from my inner monologue.

"Hey Ellie? You in there?" My body relaxed at the sound of Phineas' velvety voice.

"Yeah I'm just changing, I'll be out in a minute." I quickly slid back into my jeans and long sleeved shirt before hauling on my hoodie and stuffing my feet back into my shoes. Pushing the hair from my face. I grabbed the costume I was getting and glanced at my face in the mirror, trying to see what possibly made Ferb give me that hungry look. I shook my head, honestly baffled, and left the changing room, plastering a smile on my face as I looked at Phineas. As I looked at my boyfriend. Steadying myself mentally I payed for the costume and decided to push all thoughts of the green haired hipster from my mind.

Unfortunately it was much easier said than done, and by the time I laid down to sleep, dogs surrounding me on every side - including the puppies - the only thing that swam through my minds eye was the infuriating boy with odd hair.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I tugged at my dress and readjusted my mask as I looked around at people I didn't know uncomfortably. Picasso leaned against my leg and looked up at me, seemingly lending his support. It was relieving to have him here with me and in all fairness he did compliment my "forest elf" costume perfectly. He was wearing a fake wreath around his neck in place of a collar and had little flowers and leaves clipped into his fur down his back. After seeing my dress, Isabella had insisted and although I hated the thought of one of my dogs dressed up like a doll, I was more than relieved to have him here beside me now.

The party ended up coming together beautifully. Isabella and I had spent the whole Saturday decorating and putting this everything together, and I have to say, it was pretty impressive. The tables were laden with food, the walls covered in streamers and various Halloween decorations, and the music throbbing through my body as I stood by the wall, watching peers that I didn't know mingle about and dance. The lights were low and a fog machine that Phineas and Ferb had built made it difficult to see. I reached down and stroked Picasso's ears as I tried to blend in. I felt so out of place as Isabella played host and my boyfriend still hadn't arrived. My eyes scanned over the crowed again, the whole school was here, until they finally fell on a familiar face, however it was not one that I was searching for.

The green haired man quickly looked around the room before stalking purposefully towards me, eyes never leaving mine. He was dressed as what I believed was Jack Sparrow, or something very similar, and was wearing a masquerade mask like myself. His hat was pulled low over his head, and he was wearing a wig, but there was no missing the distinct green hairs sticking out from the edges. Over all, he looked like he put himself together in a hurry and rushed over.

As he reached me, he took a long swig from a flask that had been attached to his belt and I wondered absentmindedly if it contained alcohol. Part of me didn't care. Part of me wanted a drink to take the anxiety fueled edge off that was caused from a misanthropic reaction to the amount of people surrounding me.

"Hey baby, wanna hop on my ship?" Ferb slurred his words slightly and I could smell rum on his breath mixed with a faint hint of cigarette smoke and weed. He was drunk and high. I had noticed he had been smoking more often lately, and briefly wondered if something had triggered it.

"Where's your brother?" I wanted to deflect the conversation as far away from myself as possible. I felt uncomfortable in the short, somewhat revealing dress, and chided myself silently. He had seen me in a bikini already. Ferb's eyes narrowed.

"It's all about Phin, isn't it? He's the better student, better friend, better boyfriend right?" Ferb was getting worked up and I knew it was the booze talking.

"Ferb that's not what I meant. He was supposed to be here an hour ago, I was just wondering." I sighed deeply and looked down at Picasso. He was eyeing Ferb warily, but hadn't gone on the defensive yet. "Look if you don't want to tell me, then don't. I'll go find him myself." I moved to walk past Ferb, but he sidestepped in front of me, looking at the ground.

"No wait. I want to say I'm sorry. I've been an asshole and you're a good friend." I raised an eyebrow at him skeptically and he glanced back up into my eyes. The navy depths showed real unadulterated emotion and I knew that despite the booze loosening his tongue, he was being genuine. I nodded slightly, to acknowledge I heard and understood him.

"I didn't realize we were friends to begin with. Just stop blowing so hot and cold okay? It's getting old," I muttered and flashed him a half grin; a compromise of sorts. He nodded and turned sharply away from me, hurrying off towards a group of hipsters slouching in a corner. They looked like the group of friends he would hang out with at school. I sighed deeply and looked at Picasso.

"You wouldn't be able to, I don't know, be useful and find Phin would you?" Picasso cocked his head to the side and stood up, trotting off in a random direction towards the kitchen. I followed him, curious to see if he was really capable of hunting down my errant boyfriend.

I wasn't entirely surprised when I entered the kitchen, only to find Phineas with Isabella's dishwasher dismantled as he was surely trying to 'fix' it. Of course, Phin's version of fixing something tended to involve ridiculous, unnecessary upgrades. I sat at the kitchen table and watched him, bent over with his head shoved in the appliance, completely in his element, and really observed him for once.

He was wearing a toga, having decided on a Greek theme for the night, and I could see his lean muscles perfectly on display beneath his pale skin. His red hair shone like a fire on top of his head and stuck out in every direction, while his bones, despite not exactly being visible, gave him a very sharp, angular outline. He was honestly a truly attractive guy and I knew that I was lucky he chose me. I also knew that he had dated a large number of the girls in our school, and even though he didn't have Ferb's reputation as a resident slut, he certainly had a very large number of dates under his belt. Part of me wondered if he was still a virgin, but a stronger part of me was afraid to find out; worried that it would feed my insecurities since I had never even had a boyfriend before Phin.

I sat quietly, not wanting to disturb him from his trance like, methodical state of mind that engulfed him every time he was working hard and focusing on his new project. Picasso, however, had decided Phineas had spent more than enough time on the dishwasher and nudged him sharply in the side with his cold, wet, nose. Phineas jerked sharply in surprise, banging his head on the appliance and backed up, rubbing his head and laughing. Nothing seemed able to get him down. Looking over at me he winked.

"Hey Ellie, been here long?" I simply shrugged a response and glanced around while standing up, still uncomfortable. "Well why don't we grab a drink and dance a bit?" he asked. I sighed slightly and nodded towards the dismantled dishwasher. Phineas chuckled. "Alright, you grab some drinks and I'll clean this up. I modified it to run on half the energy with double the output."

"Any preference in drinks?" I asked him. Phineas was back in the dishwasher, starting to reassemble the dishwasher.

"I don't know, whatever punch Isa made I guess." I nodded, even though he couldn't see me, and left back into the living room, leaving Picasso laying at Phin's feet. I still couldn't believe how attached my normally defensive dog was to the boy.

As I made my way over to the food laden table, I kept an eye on Ferb. I hated admitting it to myself, but I was worried about him and was concerned that he may be spinning out of control. I poured two cups of punch and headed towards a quiet corner of the living room and sat on an unoccupied couch to wait in solitude for Phineas to finish up in the kitchen. I was deep in thought when the couch sunk down beside me. Looking over I smiled at Phineas as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and took his cup of punch.

"Thanks darling. Having fun yet?" I shrugged slightly, not even sure if I was having fun or not. "Baljeet and Buford should be here soon." His fingers rubbed along my waist as he pulled me closer and leaned in to nuzzle his nose against the skin on my neck. I sighed and curled further into his body, appreciating the strong smell of soap and detergent coming from him, it was a homey kind of smell.

We were soon joined by the aforementioned couple that had decided to show up dressed as Thing 1 and Thing 2. It was adorable seeing Buford dwarf Baljeet's tiny frame as he held his arms around the smaller boy. I grinned when I saw them and their insane blue wigs.

"You guys look cute. A bit out of character, but cute," I told them, moving to sit in Phineas' lap to give them room on the couch. Phin wrapped his arms tightly around me and snuggled further into the crook of my neck, sighing softly. The two other boys sat down beside us.

"Hey. I'll have you know I'm the husky thing," Buford defended. Baljeet turned to him and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"You look lovely Buford. The spandex shows off your... build," Baljeet reassured his boyfriend and I almost choked on my drink, laughing. The two of them made up the dirtiest couple I had ever met sometimes. Baljeet looked at me and winked as he leaned back into Buford's arms.

The boys all started chatting as I zoned out, looking out over the crowd. There was something nagging at me, but I couldn't place it. Thinking it was the fact that there were too many people in the one room for my comfort, I got up from Phineas' lap.

"Hey Phin? I'm gonna go get some air okay? I'll be back in a little." He nodded and waved me off, not taking a moment to stop his debate with Buford over their best summer adventure to date.

"No way, the rollercoaster musical will forever be the greatest!" Phineas argued.

"Are you kidding? We made Cheesetopia! It was Utopia but with cheese!" Buford bellowed back. I shook my head, wondering if they were being literal and wandered off down the stairs to the basement. I was the only person down here, the rest of the party goers wanting to be where the action and excitement was. Sighing deeply I sat on the couch and closed my eyes, enjoying the solitude. I could feel somebody come up beside me, and by the overwhelming smell, I knew exactly what it was.

"Are you stalking me?" I asked quietly. He sat beside me and rested his head on my shoulder, breathing heavily.

"Why don't you love me instead?" he whispered. His breath stank of booze. I refused to look at him, fearing what I would find in his navy blue eyes.

"I love Phineas..." I trailed off. Did I love Phin? I mean, I really enjoyed being with him and dating him, but who was I to say it was love? "I don't know what love even is," I admitted to him. "Do you?" I felt him shuffle slightly, trying to get more comfortable. He was silent for a few minutes and I wondered if he passed out, or was seriously considering my question.

"I think love is wanting to be with a person wholeheartedly. I think it's looking around a crowded room for them only, and when they're beside you, you don't want to leave or look for anybody else. I think love is enjoying walks in the rain because you're with them. I think love is dreaming and thinking of that one person only." I opened my eyes as he trailed off and turned to face him. His eyes were searching my face. "That's why I think I might love you."

That was when I ran.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I'm not sure what pushed me to run. I'm not sure how long I was running for. I'm not sure where I was even headed. All I knew was that I had to get away and escape the words that I knew in my heart were true. Ferb loved me. After denying it to Isa and myself, he finally threw it directly into my face and admitted it. Ferb loved me, but I was with his brother. I cared so much for Phineas. As I ran my head began to clear.

Phineas was wonderful to me, he was kind, funny, listened to everything I spoke of. He was passionate about things he loved. We shared all the same interests in terms of music, movies, and even most books. Ferb and I could argue over everything, though most times he would blow hot and cold on whether he was even talking to me. The two brother's were polar opposites and it was easy to see that myself and Phineas make a better couple than myself and Ferb ever would. We were just too different in every aspect.

I finally stopped running and sat down at a nearby picnic bench in the park I found myself in. My mind was still reeling a bit as I found a tiny seed of doubt, nestled in my mind. If I cared about Phineas as much as I believed, and if myself and Ferb were really as awful a match as I felt we were, then why couldn't I get those dark navy blue eyes out of my head?

Ferb was coarse, rude, and belligerent at times. He had no concept of personal space and preferred spending most of his time getting high with his hipster friends. He acted like his taste in music and books was superior and unique, never communicated on any level properly, and I could end up with one sided conversations with him because he would just shut down and refuse to speak. He was the most infuriating man I had ever met. He was a real life Mr. Darcy.

If he was as much like Mr. Darcy as I thought, however, that would mean that he possessed the endearing qualities as well. It was true from what I had so far gathered. He was loyal to those he cared for, had a strong set of personal morals, and when he was passionate about something it was with his whole heart. If you could get past Ferb's rough and difficult exterior, there was a very kind hearted boy underneath that was painfully shy and scared of getting too close to people.

I shook my head, sighing, and turned my face skyward. The moon was out and full, hanging in the sky as if being held up by the stars, and there was a distinct chill to the air. I rubbed my arms, trying to warm up slightly and wishing I had brought a coat with me. I closed my eyes, enjoying the breeze on my face.

"I should probably head back, he'll be getting worried," I murmured to myself, but the solitude was so comforting.

"You're damn right, I was getting worried." I turned my head sharpley and stared at the man absorbing my thoughts standing a few feet away, hands shoved in his pockets, and not looking at me. His shoulders were slouched, and he swayed slightly from the influence of the drugs and alcohol in his body.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, turning my face back towards the sky and trying in vain to pick out constellations. "You should be at the party snorting painkillers or something with your friends." My tone came out harsh, my confusion expressing itself as indignation. He let out a harsh laugh.

"No. I did those before I even showed up. You know me better than that." His accent was intoxicating. "I was worried about you. You ran from me." I felt anger boil up at me and I stood, turning to him with a distinct scowl on my face.

"Of course I ran Ferb! You're drunk and high and seem to think you love me for some demented reason, but you can't love me Ferb! You just can't!" In my fury I hadn't realized he approached me and by the end of it he was standing right in front of me.

"Do you want to know why I love you?" Ferb shouted back at me. I bristled at him, my heart racing from the adrenaline and my stomach turning itself into knots.

"No, because whatever you think you love about me is a lie. You hate me and we would be horrible together, don't be an idiot." I snapped back at him and could almost feel static sparking between us. Our eyes were locked and our breathing was equally rapid.

"I love you because of that soft smile you get when you're looking out a window into the wide world and you think nobody's watching. I love the fiery spark in your eyes when talking about animals; the intense passion you have. I love how you wrinkle your nose when you're thinking hard, mostly during math. I love how you throw your hair up into a crazy bun when you sketch, and especially how, when you do, little strands come loose and frame your face. I love that you dress for comfort. I love that you stand up to me. I love that when you debate you puff up like some disgruntled cat. And your eyes? Your eyes are the most beautiful, conflicting gems I have ever witnessed. I love that you don't force me to talk. I love that you take AP English and actually enjoy reading. I love that you think nobody notices that you can't stop moving. I love that you love The Smiths. I love that you care enough to get angry at me about my drug use, because nobody has ever noticed or cared that much about me. I love how sweet and gentle you are to Phineas, but I know that he will never be the kind of man you need. I know you need somebody that will challenge you and force you to rise to your full potential and I know that man can be m-"

I didn't let him finish. I didn't think. I didn't care. All I did was let my body take control and launched myself into the British boy's arms, pressing my lips firmly to his and my body strongly to his long chest. He was so tall and I had to stand on my toes as I wrapped my arms around his neck. After a brief pause brought on by surprise, I felt his arms snake around my waist and he kissed me back. I wasn't thinking, if I had been I would have run again.

Finally, Ferb broke away and pressed his face into my neck, sighing and breathing deeply. His nose nuzzled against my skin and he held me tighter. We stayed like that for a few minutes, before I heard him softly mutter something.

"What was that?" I asked him, pulling back slightly to try to look at him. He pulled me tighter against his body so I couldn't see his face.

"To die by your side, well the pleasure, the privilege, is mine," he whispered into my ear. He started to kiss my neck again. That was when it seemed as though my brain decided to work again. My heart jumped into my throat and I pushed Ferb away sharply, my breathing rapid.

"Ferb. Ferb what the fuck are we doing?" My eyes were wide and panicked as I looked around to see if anybody had seen. "I - I'm dating Phin. We can't do this." I shook my head and wrenched my body from his grasp as he continued holding out his arms to me, as if desperate to keep contact.

"Please Elena, don't run from me." His eyes searched mine, trying to find proof that I wasn't rejecting him.

"I can't Ferb. I can't. I'm not that kind of girl and you're just drunk and high. You'll forget about this by morning. Please, please just let it go, let me go." I turned away from him, the look in his eyes tugging at my heart.

"But you feel it too. You can't deny the fire behind that kiss."

"Ferb. I don't know how I feel," I conceded. "All I know is that I have to go now. I need to figure everything out." I walked away from him quickly. It took every ounce of self-restraint in my body to not break out into a full on run. I took one quick glance back at him to see his face turned skyward, arms hanging limp at his sides, and his shoulders shaking slightly. I sighed and hurried back to Isa's house, desperate to forget about him.

Upon reaching the house, I made a beeline for Phineas and found him playing beer pong with Baljeet, Picasso laying at his feet. It was looking like an intense game, considering the physics skills of both boys was outstanding. I stood beside Phineas, just watching while he completely ignored me, and I realized that this wasn't something new. Whenever a project, game, or challenge caught his attention he spent the entire time ignoring me and giving whatever it was his full attention. I didn't want his complete devotion or to monopolize all of his time, of course, but I would have liked to have a bit of recognition that I was at least there. Maybe even just a nod in my direction.

As the game progressed and I continued to feel more and more alone, my mind wandered back to the boy I left at the park, and how he specifically sought me out time and time again. He never ignored me. I wondered if I hadn't made a mistake and picked the wrong brother. Phineas was wonderful me, and I liked him a lot, but I was starting to wonder if he liked me an equal amount; if he wanted to spend as much time with me as I did with him. I was honestly starting to doubt it.

After another ten minutes, I decided that I needed to sleep this screwed up night off and quickly said my goodbyes to Phineas - whom merely grunted in response - Baljeet, Buford, and Isa. Picasso followed dutifully behind me as I pulled on my coat, gathered my purse, and left quickly. I didn't see Ferb anywhere and really didn't expect to. He would probably be M.I.A for the next while as he took more drugs, drank more, and hooked up with another one of his tattooed hipster girls.

As the thought crossed my mind I became angered. He's been with so many other girls, how could he possibly say he loved me? He either wanted another notch in his bedpost, or had really taken one too many drugs. I wasn't even his type. I had seen his type. They had black hair with random streaks dyed random colours. They all wore red flannel shirts exposing cleavage, tattoos, and too much skin. They all were musicians, listening to the same music that expressed their "individuality," and most importantly they were drug heads with nothing to do but get high. I was nothing like that.

A tiny voice in my head chimed in as I crawled onto my futon, puppies curled all around me, saying that maybe - just maybe - the differences were what made him love me. Maybe he knew what he was talking about after all. Maybe it was true, honest, unadulterated love.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Days passed. I had kept the incident with Ferb completely to myself, and to be honest the silence and brooding over it was killing me. I didn't want anyone to know, but at the same time, I wanted some advice about it. I was stuck behind the proverbial rock with the hard place at my back. I sat in the backyard, watching all of the dogs play. So far I had managed to find homes for two of the puppies.

The beige male I had named Adonis went to a wonderful home with a stay at home Mom with two school aged kids. She had explained that she was lonely and bored at home, and was looking for a puppy to raise, now that her kids were basically grown. She also wanted a dog with a strong protective instinct since her husband frequently went away for work. I had checked out her home and her family before agreeing to give him to her, and told her that if she needed any help training Adonis, to let me know. After she saw how well behaved my three were, she accepted the offer immediately.

Andromeda, the shy, white female with black spots on her ears and nose, went with a young 21 year old female. She had moved to the city to, as she put it, start over and was living alone, so she wanted company. I had put her through the same "adoption process" as I did with Adonis, and she also agreed that she'd like a bit of training. I doubt she'll need much help, though, since she had a wonderfully firm personality, and Andromeda is a very intelligent and gentle pup.

The only two left were Damon, the black and white male, and Cassiopeia, the rambunctious blue female. I knew finding a home for Cassi would be the hardest, since she was so strong willed, but I would have figured Damon would have been adopted by now. With only a month and a half left until my Christmas deadline, I was getting slightly nervous.

As I sat in the backyard, throwing a ball for the dogs to chase, Aurora laying at my side relaxing, I mulled over my issues regarding the Flynn-Fletcher boys. I cared about Phineas very strongly. I had fun with him and he was always sweet to me, but I really couldn't deny the fire behind that kiss from Ferb. I certainly couldn't deny how his confession made me feel. He told me he loved things about myself that I had never heard before and it was causing me to really question whether or not I reciprocated. As I sat silently in thought, watching Sym play course the puppies and Picasso chew on a stick, I heard the back door open.

"You okay Ellie?" I turned and saw Matt standing on the porch, watching me with a frown on his face. I shrugged in response and he came over to me, sitting on the other side of Aurora and began stroking her ears lovingly. "You seem like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. You've really been off since the Halloween party, did something happen?" I shrugged again, unsure of whether or not I wanted to talk to my overprotective brother about it. "You know you can tell me anything kiddo, right?"

"It's complicated Matty," I replied, sighing slightly.

"Life always is, but you know you shouldn't bottle things up inside." I nodded and considered on where to begin and how much to confess.

"I think I'm in love." I waited to gauge his reaction. I could almost hear him stiffen.

"Well Phineas is a great guy, have you told him?"

"Not with Phineas." I waited, worried about how harshly he'd judge me. Matt sighed deeply and I glanced over to see his eyes closed, his head nodding in apparent understanding.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize," he murmured. "Did you know that boy came over every day for the past week? He never came to the door. Just drove up to the curb and sat for a few minutes, looking conflicted, before driving off. Every day like clockwork, smoking a joint while he sat, staring at the house. What happened between you two?"

"He told me all the reasons why he loved me at the party. He told me things Phineas had never even noticed, you know? I don't understand why though, I mean, I'm not the type of girl he would normally date, and I'm with his brother, why would he tell me that he loves me?" I shook my head, my long dark hair falling in my face slightly.

"You need to decide what is more important Elena. Do you want to break up with Phineas to date Ferb?"

"I don't want to hurt either of them." I looked up at Matt, desperate for him to tell me an easy fix for this mess I ended up in. He sighed again.

"That's not possible kiddo, one will be hurt, you can't please everybody all of the time. So here's what you should do," he stood up, stretching, and looked down at me, "decided what _you_ want. Do what will make you happy. Don't let anybody make you feel guilty for making the best decision for you. Above all else though, give it all time. Let yourself really think things through so you won't regret your choice later. I have to run out for a bit, so it's just going to be you home, do you need anything?" I shook my head and he left.

To do what would make me happy seemed like it should be the easiest choice in the world, but how could I be happy knowing that I hurt somebody important to me? No matter what I do one of the Flynn-Fletcher boys will end up hurt and that kills me a bit inside. They're both very important to me in different ways.

I stood up and wandered inside, leaving the door open so the dogs could come back inside when finished. Aurora followed me in, but the rest simply continued their play in the crisp autumn breeze. There was so much I had to think about and decide, but it was so difficult.

"Maybe I should just ask them to pick a number between one and ten, then whomever is closest is the one I go with," I mused quietly to myself. Entering the kitchen I pulled out a microwavable meal for lunch and sighed deeply. "Knowing my luck they'd be an equal distance." Aurora's ears perked up and she ran towards the door, barking, before the doorbell rang. I threw the meal into the microwave and turned it on for five minutes before heading down the hallway to the door. Aurora moved behind me as I opened it to see Ferb on the front porch.

The British teen looked like a mess. A cigarette hung from his lips, hands shoved into his pockets, and eyes trained solely on the ground by his feet. Ferb's shoulders were slumped down and he really did look like the weight of the world hung itself around his neck. I was shell shocked; not at all ready to have any form of a practical life-changing conversation with one of the two boys possessing my conflicted emotions. Specifically not the one that caused them to begin with. I took a deep, steadying breath. It was now or never apparently.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, sounding much calmer than I actually felt. Ferb shrugged his shoulders, still not looking at me. "Well, come in I guess." I turned and moved into the house, heading into the living room. Ferb snuffed out the cigarette and abandoned it between the slats in the porch before he followed behind me, taking off his shoes and shutting the door. We then sat on opposite couches, facing one another, but his navy eyes still refused to meet mine. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I cleared my throat. "Alright Ferb, why have you been sitting outside my house in a strange Llyod Dobler move?" He chucked at the reference and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"I've needed to see you, to apologize for what I did," he explained. I began to speak but he held up his hands, finally looking at me. "No, let me talk Elena." I nodded and he looked down at his hands again. "Alright, I need to start by saying I never intended to ever say what I did. I was drunk, high, and wasn't thinking straight. The fact is, though, that those are my feelings for you. They've been my feelings for you since I first met you and I hadn't realized it fully until you called me after that stupid date you had gone on. I was so furious that you were there, but not because the guy is an asshole - even though he is - it was because I desperately wanted to be the one that was taking you places. Afterwards I was going to confess, after I had given you enough time, but then Phin made his move first, and you seemed happy with him. I couldn't hold it in anymore and the alcohol loosened my tongue, and I'm sorry for that. That wasn't how it was supposed to turn out. Not even close. I know things aren't going to ever be normal between us again. I'm sorry for that too. I need you to understand, though, that all those things I said were true. I love everything about you. The crinkles by your eyes when you smile, the way you scrunch up your nose when you sketch, the flecks in your eyes, absolutely everything."

"Ferb, I-"

"I thought you were going to shut up long enough for me to talk." I nodded, looking appropriately chastened. "I love you Elena. I love that you don't listen and argue like nobody's business. I love that you care so much about everything in your life. I understand though, really I do. You like Phin. He's safe, secure, stable. He doesn't do drugs, he doesn't get in trouble, he doesn't quit things, he's not me. I get that I'm not good enough for you and can never be the man you need in your life, my outburst at the party proved that. I just need you to know, however, that I'm sorry it happened, and I hope we can keep it to ourselves. Despite popular belief, I would never hurt Phineas. He's my brother and my best friend." Ferb finally looked up at me, and I was surprised to see his eyes looking like the sea during a storm, cloudy with moisture and conflicting emotions.

"I've never heard you speak as much as you have in the past few weeks," I told him softly. I really didn't know what else to say to him. Ferb chuckled and closed his eyes briefly. When he looked at me again, his eyes were no longer cloudy, but they were much softer than before. He was looking at me with a fondness I had never seen. I sighed deeply and stood up, moving to the couch Ferb sat on and sitting beside him. Carefully, I took his hands in mine and really looked at him for once.

His nose was crooked, it looked like it had been broken at some point and sloppily fixed. His hands felt worn out and rough from the mechanical work and playing his bass. His hair was getting a bit long and now fell down into his eyes in the front, but stuck up at odd angles in the back. It looked soft to the touch. He wore a white v-neck shirt and I saw the edge of the tattoo again beneath the collar. Reaching my fingers up, I lightly brushed them along the black ink that was visible.

"What is it?" I whispered to him. I could feel his pulse beating hard as my fingers played along his skin. Ferb took a deep breath before answering and I realized my breathing mirrored his. The close proximity of his body sent electrical signals up my fingers, bypassing my brain, and heading right down to trigger my hormones. Ferb pulled back, breaking our contact and peeled off his shirt, revealing his tattoo in all of it's glory. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the look of it all.

It was minimalistic, just strong black lines standing in stark contrast against his pale skin, shaping into a phoenix. The tip of the wing was what I constantly saw poking out of the edge of his collar. The second wing was spread wide across his shoulder, the tail wrapping under his arm along his ribs. I traced the ebony lines with my fingers, entranced by the look of it.

"It's beautiful." My voice was soft and slightly shaky. I knew I needed to stop touching him, to back away and end the electric feeling racing through my body, but I couldn't. My body just seemed constantly drawn to him.

"Rise and rise and rise again, like the phoenix from the ashes, until the lambs become lions and the rule of darkness is no more." I pulled my hand away from his skin slowly and looked up to see him staring at me, a fire in his eyes. "I'm so sorry," he murmured. His hands snaked out, one around my waist, the other cradling my neck, then his lips were pressing on to mine once more.


End file.
